The National Green Tribunal on Monday questioned the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board about why no action was taken to control the pollution of underground water in 100 villages of Sambhal district in the state, ANI reported.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Bansal who had alleged that the people in the villages of Sambhal were forced to drink contaminated groundwater as the state government had not acted in resolving the problem. The bench told the state Pollution Control Board that it was its responsibility to make sure clean and potable drinking water was available to the people in the affected areas.

The NGT asked the board to file an affidavit in the matter before August 31, ANI reported.

The petitioner had alleged that the children and the elders in the village were suffering from various diseases because of the contaminated water. He also urged the tribunal to direct the state government to provide potable drinking water to the villages in Sambhal.