Environment Ministry to act as nodal agency for NCZ: NGT

Green tribunal Bench dismisses its review petition

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) held that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has to act as the nodal agency to ascertain whether the sub-regional plans for protection of National Conservation Zones (NCZ) prepared by the States are in consonance with the regional plans prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board. The green panel earlier dismissed a review petition moved by the Environment Ministry.

A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel observed, “Review of the order has been sought for to the extent that instead of MoEF&CC, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs [MoHUA], be made the nodal agency as the latter Ministry has the mandate and resources to accomplish the job of finalisation of revised regional plan of the National Capital Region [NCR] being undertaken.”

Source: The Hindu