Tribunal says money should be deposited with central pollution borad, says failure to abide by order will lead to a further Rs 10 crore per month fine.
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has fined the AAP government Rs 25 crore for failing to curb air pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
A bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel Monday said that a further Rs 10 crore per month will be levied if the AAP government in Delhi did not abide by the order.
“The Delhi government will forthwith deposit a sum of ₹25 crore towards the cost of damage to the environment with the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) for the restoration of the damage,” the NGT order reads.
“We further direct that on failure to comply with this order, the Delhi government may be required to deposit at least ₹10 crore per month till the order of this tribunal is fully executed.”
The verdict came during the hearing on a plea filed by Delhi residents Satish Kumar and Mahavir Singh against pollution caused in the city due to the burning of plastic, leather, engine oil, and illegal industrial practices on agricultural land in Mundka and Neelwal villages. These activities had been banned under the Plastic Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011.
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‘AAP govt failed to shut down 51,000 industries’
The NGT was told that the Arvind Kejriwal government had failed to shut down at least 51,000 industries flouting the 2011 rules in the NCR region.
“The compliance report submitted is just an eyewash. The Delhi government has not prosecuted even a single illegal industry nor has it named any industries running in non-conforming areas,” the order said.
The NGT bench thus called for high-level monitoring procedures to be put in place to make sure that the government complies with its orders. The bench also asked the government to identify those involved in causing pollution, as well as the officers responsible for failing to check these practices.
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