NEW DELHI: The Delhi government was fined Rs 50 crore by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 16, for not taking action against steel pickling units in residential areas, which is categorized under the prohibited list of industrial activity.
Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) was questioned by the NGT, asking the reason for not filing an affidavit about how these industries received water and electricity connections, despite the Tribunal’s directions to shut down these units with immediate effect.
A bench headed by Justice Adarsh Goel, NGT Chairperson rapped the government for not closing the industrial units despite its specific directions.
The order came on a plea filed by an NGO, the ‘All India Lokadhikar Sangthan’, which stated that units functioning at Wazirpur discharges effluents in open drains which further flows into the Yamuna River. The NGO requested an immediate action against these units.
It contended that under the pretext of decision making “time is being taken by the Delhi government and the environment is made to suffer continuously”.