Illegal kilns operating near Haryana border: Rajasthan pollution bodyA report filed by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) May 1, 2025 admitted to the presence of a number of illegal kilns or bhattis operating near the Rajasthan-Haryana border. Some of them fall within the territorial jurisdiction of village Udhanwas, Rajasthan. A resident confirmed that around 8-10 such bhattis are located within Udhanwas village of Rajasthan, while others fall under the jurisdiction of Haryana. He also informed that these kilns operate at night to avoid detection.A large volume of waste rubber cuttings and plastic sheet cuttings from automobiles were dumped at the site, according to the report. Local inputs indicated that this waste is sourced from the industrial areas in Manesar and Gurugram. The waste is reportedly burnt or melted in open crucibles, and the resulting molten substance is left under the sun to dry. The dried material is later transported to other locations for grinding. The ground product is used as fuel in brick kilns, these cuttings / sheets / dried melted material is also used as fuel by these units for operating the bhattis.These bhattis are operating without obtaining consent from the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board and are in violation of the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Further, no air pollution control devices or safeguards were found at the site during inspection. The emissions from such burning are therefore directly released into the atmosphere, posing a serious threat to local ecology, public health and wildlife. “The operation of these units does not require water or electricity connections, and as such, they evade detection through regular utility usage patterns,” the report said.Due to the absence of authorized landowners or governmental representatives during inspection, territorial jurisdiction and ownership of the specific parcels of land could not be conclusively established. However, locals informed that the land falls under the category of forest land. The matter has been forwarded to the district administration for further necessary action, including the dismantling of all such illegal bhattis located within Rajasthan’s jurisdiction.The application was registered suo motu by NGT on the basis of the news report Toxic kilns pollution Aravallis; wildlife and locals suffer in the newspaper The Tribune dated December 28, 2024. The story highlighted the operation of illegal and polluting kilns / crucibles along the Haryana-Rajasthan border near the Aravalli range.A site inspection was conducted on April 25, 2025 in the area mentioned in the news report. During the inspection, local residents of village Nurpur, Tauru, Haryana were contacted and they were informed that illegal kilns or "bhattis" were operational near the Rajasthan-Haryana border.It was further stated that these units function mostly during late night hours. Acting on this input, the inspection team visited the border area between village Udhanwas (Rajasthan) and village Nurpur (Haryana). Shoreline management plan, erosion maps for Odisha under processOdisha's Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), including erosion maps in the Coastal Zone Management Plan as per Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 is under process in compliance with the order of NGT April 11, 2022. The report would provide a roadmap for sustainable development as well as protection of coastal areas. The authorised agencies of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) have been requested for submission of proposal for SMP preparation.This was stated in the reply filed by the Director, Environment-cum-Special Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Odisha and Member Secretary, Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority, May 1, 2025 to the NGT.Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority (OCZMA) has recommended proposals submitted by different stakeholder departments pertaining to coastal protection measures like, sea wall, groynes, embankments and plantations.The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), 2019 of Odisha has been approved by MoEFCCC on June 1, 2021. Public hearings were conducted in all the seven coastal districts of Odisha during CZMP preparation.The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, a research institute under MoEFCC, had already carried out a National Assessment of Shoreline Changes in Odisha coast in 2011. The study indicated that the coast of Odisha is largely accreting (46.8 per cent), 14.4 per cent is stable and erosion (high, medium and low) accounts for 36.8 per cent and 2 per cent of artificial coast (sea wall). Under consideration was the issue of increasing instances of high energy swell waves, which is a phenomenon also known as kallakadal. The court said that reason and remedial action need consideration in the matter.NGT seeks reply on fly ash dumping in River Muri Ganga by sinking Bangladeshi vesselThe West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) was directed by the eastern bench of NGT April 29, 2025 to file an affidavit bringing on record the action taken on the dumping of fly ash in River Muri Ganga by a Bangladeshi vessel.WBPCB informed the court that a letter was issued to the director, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), on March 5, 2025 directing the concerned shipping agent to dispose of the fly ash from both the vessels in an environmentally safe manner and submit report.According to the reply submitted by the director, IWAI it was found that a Bangladeshi vessel MV Sea World was carrying 1,190 tonnes of fly ash from Budge Budge Jetty No 4. The name of the exporter was IRC Commercials and 600 tonnes of fly ash has been recovered.Another letter has been issued to the director, IWAI with a request to share the cause behind disposal of fly ash into the river and it is stated that after receiving the necessary information, further steps for verification / inspection would be carried out.The matter related to a sinking Bangladeshi vessel illegally dumping toxic fly ash into Muri Ganga raising serious environmental concerns. The news item published in The Times of India Kolkata edition February 17, 2025 said that the vessel, MV Sea World, was en route to Bangladesh from Budge Budge when it struck a sandbar near Ghoramara, causing a fracture in its hull. .Read stories on environment in Hindi