Over 60 Environmental Cases Filed Monthly At NGT Pune Amid Rising Public Awareness And Legal Vigilance
Pune, 15th April 2025: With growing public sensitivity toward environmental issues and increasing legal awareness, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has witnessed a sharp rise in environmental complaints, especially at its Pune bench. On average, over 60 petitions are being filed each month, reflecting public concern over violations ranging from illegal construction and indiscriminate tree cutting to failures in solid waste management.
The NGT, established under the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010, was designed to offer citizens a platform to seek redress for environmental harm. Over the past year, the Pune bench has seen a significant uptick in cases concerning unauthorized development projects, construction activities without proper environmental impact assessments, illegal tree felling, hill-cutting, encroachment on water bodies, and various forms of pollution including air, water, and noise.
Nationwide, five active benches—Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Bhopal, and Kolkata—handle such cases. The Pune bench, operational since 25th August 2013, holds jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, and Union Territories like Daman, Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli.
According to the latest data available until January 2025, the NGT has received a total of 48,590 petitions across India, of which 44,283 have been resolved, while 4,307 remain pending. The Pune bench alone has received 768 petitions in the past year, resolving 400 of them, with 1,063 still under consideration—highlighting a substantial backlog compared to other regional benches.
