Noida: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the UP Pollution Control Board member secretary in a matter pertaining to a chemical factory in Shamli.The notice, issued on July 17, asked the UPPCB official to file a compliance report at least a week before the next date of hearing on Sept 3. The notice follows the rank and file of the board having allegedly defied NGT’s orders and let the polluting factory — Kuber Traders — operate without any environmental clearance.The tribunal, in its Dec 16, 2025, order, directed the member secretary, UPPCB, to conduct an inquiry and take action against the regional officer in Muzaffarnagar for letting the chemical factory — manufacturing hazardous chemicals — operate without necessary clearances and further allowing it to operate even after the closure order of the joint committee passed in the course of hearing of the petition by NGT.Approaching the tribunal for execution of its order on July 13 (registered on July 14), petitioner Amit Kumar pointed out that the member secretary, UPPCB, has neither filed his report after inquiry nor was requisite action taken.To support his averments, the applicant referred to photographs and the reply of the UPPCB given against his RTI application of March 24, 2026.While disposing of the original application of 2024, the bench comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel in Dec last year had summoned UPPCB Muzaffarnagar RO Geetesh Chandra, seeking an explanation about letting the chemical factory operate without necessary clearances.A query was put to the RO to disclose if any effort was made to find out the violation by the unit prior to Aug 17, 2024, but he failed to answer.“There was no answer, nor has any material been pointed out to show that any attempt was made by the UPPCB or its RO to find out since when the unit was operating illegally in violation of the environmental norms. No explanation has come forth by the UPPCB to the plea of the applicant that even after the alleged closure by the joint team, the unit has continued to operate illegally. This reflects gross dereliction of duty on the part of the officials of the UPPCB,” the tribunal noted, ordering the member secretary, UPPCB, to conduct an inquiry.The tribunal said, “We direct the member secretary to ascertain since when this unit, Kuber, was operating illegally in violation of the environmental norms and ensure appropriate punitive action, including the action of levy of environmental compensation on the said unit for the entire period of its illegal operation. While undertaking the said exercise, the member secretary, UPPCB, will bear in mind that it is a unit that is involved in the activity covered under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2022, for the utilisation and management of waste tyres through EPR regime as per Schedule IX inserted in the amendment. The member secretary, UPPCB, will also take appropriate remedial action to remediate the contamination from the site, if found, and ensure disposal of the hazardous material that is lying at the site.”The tribunal granted him three months from the date of the order for compliance. Seven months have passed since the order of the tribunal was issued, but neither the factory has stopped operating nor was an explanation given for the dereliction of duty by successive PCB officials.
