NHRC action on dirty water falling into Narmada, Priyank Kanungo reprimanded the administration

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanungo in Narmadapuram has raised serious questions on the functioning of the district administration and municipality. During the review meeting and press conference, he expressed strong displeasure over the release of dirty water into the Narmada river without treatment. He called it a big issue not only of environment but also of public health. Kanungo said that even when governments are spending crores of rupees on cleaning rivers, if dirty water is directly reaching the river, it shows serious negligence on the part of the responsible authorities.

Narmada River is considered the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and millions of people have faith in it. In such a situation, continuous entry of polluted water into the river is becoming a matter of concern. The NHRC member clearly said that if effective steps are not taken in time, it could have a serious impact on the environment and people’s health in the coming years. He has instructed the officials to fix accountability and take corrective action.

NHRC’s strictness on Narmada pollution

During the review, Priyank Kanungo found that the dirty water coming from some parts of the city is reaching the Narmada river without being completely cleaned. He described this situation as extremely worrying and said that contaminated water can harm the river ecosystem as well as pose a threat to people’s health.

He also said that the Central and State Governments are continuously investing under the Clean River Campaign. Despite this, if sewer water is going directly into the river, then it is necessary to review the functioning of the concerned departments. Kanungo also raised questions on the design of the pipeline and STP (sewage treatment plant) pumping station being built in the Narmada Ghat area.

He said that it is not enough to just create projects, but it should also be ensured that they are operated effectively. He instructed the district administration to conduct a technical investigation and evaluate the entire system and prepare a corrective plan if necessary. Experts also believe that if the sewage treatment system is not strong then it will be difficult to control river pollution.

Important instructions also given on salary of sanitation workers and social issues

Apart from Narmada pollution, the NHRC member also took a serious stance on the complaints related to outsourced sanitation workers working in the municipality. During the review, information was received that many employees were not getting salary as per the prescribed collector rate. Expressing displeasure over this, he directed the officials to ensure timely payment into the bank accounts of all employees.

Along with this, the Labor Department was asked to check the salary payment records and roster of employees. If irregularities are found at any level, instructions were also given to take action against the concerned contractors and responsible officers.

Kanungo also paid attention to issues related to social equality. He said that the name of a ghat and a locality in the city has been found to be caste-related, which is not in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and the principles of equality. He instructed the administration to start the process of changing such names.

Apart from this, it was also asked to investigate the case of an alleged illegal meat-mutton shop running near the Ram-Janaki temple and ensure that action is taken as per the rules. He also clarified that Narmada River has the status of a living entity, hence there should not be any kind of activity around it which would affect the purity and environment of the river.

The comments of the NHRC member during the Narmadapuram visit have once again brought many important issues like administrative system, river conservation and labor rights into the center of discussion. Now all eyes are on how quickly and seriously the administration implements these instructions.