Delhi: ‘CPCB may collect landfill impact fine’

NEW DELHI: With a committee comprising Central Pollution Control Board, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and IIT-Delhi members assessing Rs 450 crore as cost of damage to environment due to dump sites in Delhi, National Green Tribunal said CPCB is at liberty to recover the amount with further penalty for continuing damage.
The panel was tasked by NGT to ascertain the environmental damage caused by the waste dumps and based their calculations on factors such as legacy waste and leachate generated over the years.They determined the damage cost at Bhalswa to be Rs 155.9 crore, Okhla Rs 151.1 crore and Ghazipur, Rs 142.5 crore.
The tribunal said, “CPCB is at liberty to recover the compensation already assessed, with further compensation for continuing damage till compliance of law, following due process of law. The amount of recovered compensation be spent on restoration of environment in Delhi.”
The bench observed that the work executed by the statutory authorities is inadequate, resulting in continued damage to the environment, apart from the damage to the tune of Rs 450 crore assessed for the past. The bench noted that statutory period under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 for completing all steps specified in Rule 22 will come to an end on April 7, 2021.