Lucknow, Feb 4 (IANS): The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has transferred two public interest litigation (PIL) petitions seeking directives regarding removal of pollution from the Gomti river to the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The court directed the senior registrar of the Lucknow bench to transfer all the records to the NGT within a fortnight.

The order was passed by a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Saurabh Lavania on the two PIL petitions filed by Sewage Treatment Plant, Lucknow, through Narendra Kumar and Banwari Lal in 2003 and 2008 respectively, on Saturday.

The petitions raised concern over discharge of untreated water and municipal waste into the Gomti. Many orders have been passed by the court in the matter. The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the problem of pollution in river Gomti persists and remains unattended.

Referring to a ruling of the Supreme Court on the issue and provisions of the NGT Act, the court said: “We are of the considered opinion that the instant batch of petitions should be transferred to the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi as it is a judicial body of experts and better equipped to resolve the issue.”

“The parties are at liberty to appear before the NGT and pursue the matter,” the court added.