India, June 22 -- PUNE The National Green Tribunal (NGT), western zone bench, has issued notices to key government authorities in Maharashtra over alleged large-scale violations of the Central Ground Water Authority's (CGWA) guidelines for groundwater extraction in the Pune district.

The order was passed during a hearing on June 19 in response to a petition filed by city-based citizen Pushkar Kulkarni.

The tribunal directed that notices be served to the district collector of Pune, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). These respondents have been asked to file their replies within four weeks.

The applicant, represented by advocate...