LUCKNOW, July 18 -- Expressing concern over the condition of sewage treatment, pollution and water quality in the Gomti, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government by the end of this month. The order was passed on July 2 by a three-member bench comprising NGT chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava, justice Sudhir Agarwal, and expert member A Senthil Vel. The matter pertains to the discharge of untreated water and municipal waste in the Gomti. The PIL was pending in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, which passed several orders. However, the high court transferred the PIL to the NGT on January 31, 2024. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for September 17. The NGT had raised serious objections to the Uttar Pradesh government's report on the status of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and sewage waste management (SWM) in the state, flagging various gaps and directing the state to fill them before the next date of hearing. A three-member NGT bench, in its order passed on May 26, had also handed over a prescribed format to the state and directed it to submit details before July 28....