Dehradun, April 25 -- The National Green Tribunal's (NGT) principal bench in New Delhi on Friday took suo moto cognisance of a report on the danger posed by unstable hanging glaciers in the central Himalayas , particularly the Alaknanda basin in Uttarakhand. The principal bench, comprising NGT chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, took note of an April 20 report by The Hindu titled, "Study flags overlooked danger posed by hanging glaciers on mountain slopes in central Himalaya". The report cited a study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneshwar and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which assessed glaciers in the Alaknanda basis through satellite imagery, elevation models and avalanche simulations. The analysis suggested that avalanches triggered by unstable glaciers could travel long distances and potentially reach settlements such as Mana, Badrinath and Hanuman Chatti. According to the study, the retreat of glaciers led to the detachment of tributary glaciers from larger trunk glaciers. The bench noted that rapid development in high-altitude areas has increased human exposure to such risks. The study estimated that built-up areas within vulnerable zones have expanded sharply from around 8,000 square metres in 2000 to more than 150,000 square metres projected by 2030. The Badrinath-Mana stretch was identified as logging particularly rapid infrastructure and population growth. The bench observed that the issue raised questions over compliance with norms under the the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,and issued notices to the Union and Uttarakhand governments and concerned authorities- including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. The respondents were ordered to file replies at least a week before the next hearing, scheduled on August 6. "If any respondent directly files the reply without routing it through his advocate, then the said respondent will remain virtually present to assist the Tribunal."...