The pollution in Pune's Indrayani River and Katraj Lake caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi, prompting the tribunal to take proactive action. Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr. A Senthil Vel initiated two separate cases based on reports from news articles.

"The news item raises substantial issue relating to compliance of environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of the Scheduled enactments," both orders dated March 22 stated.

The initial case was filed in response to a news article titled "Pune: Foul smell from lake troubles Katraj and Bibwewadi society residents; Demand urgent action from PMC," published in ‘Pune Pulse’ on February 12. This article drew attention to the problem of sewage disposal in Katraj Lake within Pune's Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, leading to foul odors and mosquito infestations. Consequently, it caused significant inconvenience and distress to the nearby residents.

The news report exposed the significant release of untreated industrial and domestic waste into the river. It noted discrepancies in attributions of pollution sources: while the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) pointed to domestic sewage as the main culprit, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) claimed that industrial effluent was primarily responsible for the pollution in the river.

The Tribunal deemed both news reports as significant, indicating potential violations of environmental regulations. Consequently, it acknowledged both matters. Notices were issued to several concerned entities, including the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and the District Collector of Pune. These cases were scheduled for a hearing on May 28 at the Pune Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

MPCB was represented by advocate Mukesh Verma.

CPCB was represented by advocate Tanisha Samanta.

PMC was represented by advocate Rahul Garg.

PCMC was represented by advocate Shivshankar Swaminathan.