High court asks Nashik civic body to spell out plan to stop Godavari pollution

Nashik: With the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela approaching, Bombay high court has directed the civic chief to place on record — within two weeks — the measures proposed to prevent pollution of Godavari river through the city.Hearing a contempt petition linked to a long-running public interest litigation on river pollution, a division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata on Oct 13 asked the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) administration to detail steps to curb all forms of pollution entering the river. The matter will be heard next on Oct 27.The court also granted time to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to obtain instructions regarding installation of a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) in the industrial estates at Ambad and Satpur.The directions came during the hearing of a contempt petition alleging non-compliance with orders issued in the Godavari pollution PIL filed in 2012 and the final judgment delivered in 2018.Environmentalist Rajesh Pandit, who filed the contempt petition in May 2025, has sought time-bound implementation of sewage treatment, pollution-control and river-conservation measures before the Kumbh Mela.Pandit contended that authorities were required to upgrade ageing sewage treatment plants, ensure complete sewage collection, remove encroachments along the river’s blue line and expedite construction of the CETP in Ambad MIDC. “The authorities were expected to upgrade old STPs, ensure full sewage collection, act against encroachments along the blue line and set up the CETP. The project gathered momentum only after the contempt petition was filed,” Pandit said.The high court will review responses from the NMC administration and MIDC at the next hearing.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nashik | Silver Rate in Nashik | Bank Holidays in Nashik | Public Holidays in Nashik | Petrol Price in Nashik | Diesel Price in Nashik | CNG Price in Nashik | LPG Price in NashikStay updated with the latest Nashik news. Download the TOI App.