The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Belagavi district administration for its repeated failure to submit a report on alleged pollution caused by a local sugar factory, warning that the penalty will be doubled if the delay continues.
The southern zone bench of the NGT, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, was hearing a petition filed by Shahu Shivaji Mokahi, a resident of Nangnur village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. The petitioner had alleged that the Hiranyakeshi Sahakari Sakkare Karkhane, located in Sankeshwar (Belagavi district), was releasing untreated molasses and effluents into the Hiranyakeshi River, polluting both surface and groundwater downstream in Maharashtra.
Despite being granted several opportunities, the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner failed to file the required status report. On June 26, the NGT had already imposed a fine of ₹25,000 for the delay. However, when the matter was heard again on July 23, the bench expressed strong dissatisfaction, noting that the report still hadn’t been submitted.
“The report of the Deputy Commissioner, Belagavi, has not yet been filed, even though it was recorded that the same would be accepted only upon payment of ₹25,000,” the bench observed.
Issuing a stern final warning, the NGT granted time until August 14, 2025, for submission of the report. “We give a final opportunity to the Deputy Commissioner to file his report on or before 14.08.2025, failing which the same will be received only upon payment of ₹50,000,” the order stated.
The matter has now been posted for 03.09.2025