NOIDA: National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices to UP govt, UP Pollution Control Board and private individuals in a three-year-old explosion case, asking them file a reply by the next date of hearing — July 16.The principal bench of NGT took cognizance of a plea seeking compensation for the victims of the explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Ghaziabad on Sept 23, 2023. The incident resulted in the death of seven persons, including children and family members of the applicants.The principal bench — comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert members Dr A Senthil Vel and Dr Afroz Ahmad — ordered issuing notices to all the respondents in the matter, including private individuals – Sharik, Vikas Goyal and Rahish Ahmad.An application was filed under Sections 15 and 17 of the NGT Act, 2010 before the green bench by Shakil Saifi, Kaynat Khan, Anisha Begum and Shyamvati, each of whom lost one or more family members.As per the application, the explosion that brought down the roof of a double-storey building in Loni’s Roopnagar was allegedly at the illegal unit operating in a residential house near Pani Ki Tanki.The applicants have said that the firecracker unit was operating without mandatory permissions from competent authority. Referring to a previous order of the tribunal dated April 18, 2023, the applicants have said that in a similar matter environmental compensation was awarded. It was pointed out that when the said order of the tribunal was challenged in Supreme Court, the appeal was dismissed on Feb 27, 2026.Producing copies of an FIR related to the incident and an RTI reply obtained from various authorities, the applicants claimed that they have been denied any compensation till date.The plaintiffs have submitted post-mortem reports confirming death due to the explosion and the reply against the RTI application filed with the UPPCB indicating that the unit lacked environmental clearance.Counsel for the applicants also said that another RTI application filed with the DM’s office revealed that the firecracker manufacturing unit did not possess licence under the Explosives Act, 1884.
