How to File RTI with NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga) — Namami Gange Pollution, STP Status and Fund Utilisation

The Ganga, India's most culturally and ecologically significant river, runs 2,525 kilometres from Gangotri in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, passing through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Its major tributaries — the Yamuna, Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghra (Saryu), Gandak, Kosi, and Son — drain much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and support the livelihoods of over 400 million people. Decades of untreated sewage discharge, industrial effluent from tanneries, dyeing units, distilleries, sugar mills, and paper mills, and inadequate solid waste management have severely degraded the river.

The Namami Gange Programme — launched in 2014 and designated a Flagship Programme of the Government of India — is the most ambitious attempt to clean the Ganga. With a total outlay of over ₹20,000 crore, it funds sewage treatment plant (STP) construction and upgradation, industrial effluent control, river-front development and ghat renovation, biodiversity conservation, and afforestation along the river banks. The programme is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, functioning under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

NMCG is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Although it is structured as a registered society rather than a statutory department, it operates as the implementing arm of the National Ganga Council (chaired by the Prime Minister), is substantially financed by the Central Government, and is governed by a board of officers appointed by the Government. Citizens along the Ganga and its tributaries can file RTI applications with NMCG to obtain STP construction and commissioning status, real-time water quality monitoring data, industrial effluent defaulter lists, tannery and dyeing unit closure orders, project-wise fund utilisation under Namami Gange, and ghat restoration contract details.

Scope of this guide: This guide covers RTI applications filed directly with NMCG for Namami Gange-funded works and Ganga basin pollution data held at the central level. For state-level industrial consents, inspection records for specific factories, and SPCB enforcement orders in your district, file a separate RTI with the relevant State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) — that second appeal goes to the State Information Commission (SIC) of the respective state, not the CIC.

NMCG vs SPCBs vs MoEFCC: Who Holds What Information

Understanding which body holds the information you need prevents wasted applications and transfer delays.

STP Construction Under Namami Gange: What RTI Can Establish

The Sewage Problem and NMCG's Role

Untreated municipal sewage remains the single largest source of pollution in the Ganga. Every day, cities and towns along the river discharge hundreds of millions of litres of sewage directly into the river or its tributaries without treatment. Under the Namami Gange Programme, NMCG has sanctioned the construction of hundreds of STPs across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

Many of these projects have faced severe delays — sometimes stretching years beyond the contracted completion date. Commissioned STPs frequently operate below capacity due to inadequate sewerage network connectivity, power supply issues, or maintenance failures. Citizens have a right to know the status of projects in their area.

What RTI Can Obtain from NMCG on STPs

• Sanctioned project list: The complete list of STPs sanctioned under Namami Gange for your state, district, or city, with each project's capacity, sanctioned cost, and implementing agency
• Construction progress and commissioning status: Whether a specific STP has been commissioned and is operational, or the reasons for delay if it has not
• Contractor details and work orders: The name of the implementing agency (often an Engineering Procurement Construction or EPC contractor), the date of the work order, and the contracted completion date
• Penalty for delay: Whether NMCG has levied liquidated damages or penalties on a contractor for missing construction milestones, and whether the penalty has been recovered
• Progress and inspection reports: Copies of periodic progress reports submitted by the implementing agency or the Project Management Consultants (PMC) engaged by NMCG

Check the Namami Gange dashboard first: Before filing an RTI, visit nmcg.nic.in and check the project dashboard. Many STP projects are listed there with their current status. File an RTI when the dashboard does not carry the specific data you need — detailed progress reports, penalty records, or commissioning certificates — or when you need certified copies for legal proceedings.

Water Quality Monitoring: What Data NMCG Holds

The Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Network

NMCG has installed a network of Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Stations (CWQMS) at multiple points along the main Ganga and key tributaries. These stations measure Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), temperature, and Total Coliform in real time. The Ganga must meet Class B bathing-water standards (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, BOD ≤ 3 mg/L) as a minimum objective under the Namami Gange Programme.

In addition, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) runs a parallel national water quality monitoring network on the Ganga and its tributaries. Both NMCG and CPCB hold data that citizens can access through RTI.

What RTI Can Obtain on Water Quality

• CWQMS station data: Monthly or quarterly averages for DO, BOD, total coliform, and other parameters at a specific monitoring station for a specified period
• Stretch-wise compliance: Whether a named stretch of the river has consistently met bathing standards — and if not, the documented reasons
• Annual water quality assessment reports: Published or unpublished assessment reports prepared by NMCG, IIT consortium researchers, or the National Institute of Hydrology on behalf of NMCG
• Bathing ghat survey results: Water quality results from seasonal surveys of river water at popular bathing ghats — particularly relevant before festivals like Kumbh, Chhath Puja, and Kartik Snan
• CPCB monitoring data: The CPCB monitors around 150 stations on the Ganga basin; file a separate RTI with CPCB (also through rtionline.gov.in) for their monitoring records

Industrial Pollution: Tanneries, Dyeing Units, and Grossly Polluting Industries

The GPI List and NMCG's Enforcement Coordination Role

NMCG maintains and periodically updates a list of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) — tanneries, dyeing and bleaching units, sugar mills, distilleries, paper and pulp mills, and other heavily polluting industries located along the Ganga and its tributaries. NMCG issues directions to the concerned SPCBs to take enforcement action against non-compliant GPIs and monitors compliance.

The actual consent-to-operate records, inspection reports, and closure orders for individual factories are held by the relevant State Pollution Control Board — not NMCG. However, NMCG holds the macro-level GPI lists, the directions issued to SPCBs, and the compliance status reported to the National Ganga Council.

What RTI Can Obtain on Industrial Pollution

From NMCG (rtionline.gov.in → CIC for second appeal):

• The current list of GPIs on the Ganga and named tributaries in your state — including tanneries, dyeing units, and distilleries — with their compliance status
• Directions issued by NMCG to the concerned SPCB to take enforcement action against non-compliant GPIs, and the action taken in response
• Quarterly or annual GPI compliance reports submitted by SPCBs to NMCG

From the State Pollution Control Board (state RTI portal → State SIC for second appeal):

• Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate records for a specific factory
• Inspection reports recording effluent quality violations
• Show-cause notices, closure orders, and directions issued to a specific industrial unit
• Whether a closed unit has been permitted to reopen and on what conditions

Practical tip: If you are dealing with a cluster of tanneries (such as in Kanpur's Jajmau area), file RTI with both NMCG for the GPI list and directions, and with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board for unit-wise consent and enforcement records. This gives you the complete picture of central-level monitoring and state-level action.

Fund Utilisation: Tracking Public Money Under Namami Gange

Why Fund Utilisation Data Matters

Namami Gange is one of India's largest river conservation programmes. Public money flows from the Centre to state governments, state programme management groups, urban local bodies, and contractors. RTI is the most effective tool for tracking whether funds have been utilised for their sanctioned purpose, whether Utilisation Certificates (UCs) have been submitted, and whether there are signs of financial irregularity.

What RTI Can Obtain on Fund Utilisation

• Project-wise fund release and expenditure: For each Namami Gange project in a named state or district — the total amount sanctioned, amount released to the implementing agency, and expenditure incurred as on date
• Utilisation Certificates: Copies of UCs submitted by state governments or implementing agencies for funds released in a specified financial year
• Ghat renovation contracts: Contract value, contractor name, date of award, completion status, and whether the completed ghat has been handed over for public use
• River surface cleaning contracts: Details of contracts awarded for floating solid waste and hyacinth removal, including the equipment deployed and the area covered

Where to File and How

Filing on RTI Online Portal

1. Visit rtionline.gov.in and click Submit Request
2. Select Ministry of Jal Shakti as the Ministry
3. Select National Mission for Clean Ganga as the public authority
4. State your questions clearly — include the city or district name, the name of the river or tributary, and the specific documents or data you need
5. Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are exempt — attach a copy of your BPL card
6. Submit and note your registration number for tracking

If your query relates to state-level STP projects or SPCB enforcement records, file a separate RTI with the relevant state body through the state RTI portal. A single RTI application addressed only to NMCG will not compel disclosure of documents held solely by the SPCB or the state Urban Development Department.

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If NMCG does not respond within 30 days, or if the response is incomplete, partial, or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NMCG within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 days with recorded reasons.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA also fails to respond or responds unsatisfactorily, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act, within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the First Appeal period. NMCG is a Central Government body — the second appeal always lies with the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

Penalty: Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, the CIC may impose a penalty of ₹250 per day on the errant CPIO (up to a maximum of ₹25,000) for failing to furnish information without reasonable cause, and may recommend disciplinary proceedings.

For SPCB RTI applications: If you file separately with a State Pollution Control Board and are dissatisfied with the response, the second appeal goes to the State Information Commission (SIC) of the respective state — not the CIC.

Section 8 exemptions to watch for: NMCG may occasionally claim that ongoing enforcement coordination with an SPCB against an industrial unit falls under Section 8(1)(h) (information that would impede an ongoing investigation). This exemption does not cover concluded enforcement proceedings, factual water quality monitoring data, STP commissioning records, or financial fund utilisation documents. If this exemption is invoked against such records, it is a sound ground for First Appeal.