JUDGMENT

BY HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SUDHIR AGARWAL, JUDICIAL MEMBER

1. Original Application 1038/2018 (hereinafter referred to as ‘OA I’) was registered on suo-moto action initiated by Tribunal, pursuant to a newspaper report, pertaining to ranking of industrial clusters in respect of pollution and inaction on the part of Statutory Regulators in taking effective action for the remediation/preservation of environment in the said areas.

2. Original Application 469/2022 (hereinafter referred to as ‘OA II’) is an outcome of the proceedings initiated in OA I and hence since both are integrally connected have been clubbed, heard together and are being decided by this common judgment.

3. OA I Pleadings: A news item was published in the daily newspaper “The Asian Age”, dated 06.12.2018, authored by Sanjay Kaw, with the heading “CPCB to rank industrial units on pollution levels”. The report says that in 2009-2010, State Pollution Boards along with Central Pollution Control Board (hereinafter referred to as ‘CPCB’) had conducted surveys to check pollution levels in 88 odd notified industrial clusters. Later, CPCB read these clusters under critical and serious category. As many as 88 industrial clus