The National Green Tribunal on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 25 crore on the Delhi government for failing to control pollution in the national capital.
The environmental body directed that the amount will be deducted from the salaries of the Delhi government officials and people polluting the environment.
The NGT also directed that if the government fails to pay the fine on time a hefty penalty of Rs 10 crore per month will be charged on them.
The new development comes in the wake of the Supreme Court asking the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prosecute government officials for not acting on around 250 complaints received by it from citizens. In its order in November, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta had said officials who have failed to act on the complaints were required to be prosecuted. “Why don’t you prosecute these officials? You should prosecute them. Let these people realise what they have done,” the bench told Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who was appearing for the CPCB.
Meanwhile, Air quality in Delhi oscillated between “poor” and “very poor” categories during the day due to local pollutants as authorities predicted a further rise in the pollution level. The CPCB recorded an overall AQI of 314, which falls in the “very poor” category. The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said the air quality in the national capital is “very poor” and at present, there is “insignificant intrusion (of pollutants) from outside of Delhi”. “It is an ideal time to ascertain the impact of local emissions on the pollution level of Delhi,” SAFAR was quoted as saying by PTI.
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