India's National Green Tribunal orders BHU compensation and probes illegal mining, encroachments

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to recover about Rs 2.65 crore from Banaras Hindu University for the illegal felling of 33 trees on its Varanasi campus, noting that the university has planted 978 saplings as compensatory afforestation.

The tribunal also issued notices to Uttar Pradesh authorities to respond to allegations of illegal sand mining along the Yamuna River in Fatehpur district, citing specific sites where mining is alleged to have altered the river’s natural course and threatened nearby villages.

In a separate matter, the NGT sought replies from state officials regarding the alleged encroachment of public pond land for the construction of a school in Mohammadabad, Ghazipur district. Earlier, the Madras High Court dismissed a petition against a five‑million‑litre‑per‑day sewage‑treatment plant in Coimbatore after the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board granted consent.