The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on the Maharashtra government for its failure to comply with the Supreme Court's earlier direction to prevent discharge of municipal waste into a river at the pilgrim place Trimbakeshwar, one of the 12 holy 'Jyotirlings'. The NGT has also asked the Maharashtra Chief Secretary to be present at the next hearing. The tribunal has directed the state government to deposit an amount of Rs 1 crore as interim compensation to the district magistrate for the rehabilitation of the water quality of the Trimbakeshwar river in Nashik district.

NGT's principal bench chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had on September 16 noted that the Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council had failed to prevent the discharge of municipal waste into the Trimbakeshwar river, a small tributary, which joins and dumps all the pollutants into the Godavari river a short distance downstream. The tribunal also pointed out that the civic authority had failed to prevent the discharge of municipal waste into the river despite at least four orders by the NGT in the past two years.