NGT slaps 5 lakh cost on Ghaziabad officials

Ghaziabad: The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday asked government departments and Ghaziabad civic authorities to collectively pay an environmental compensation cost of Rs. 5 lakh in a case regarding inadequate measures to check pollution in Kaushambi.
While hearing the petition of the Kaushambi Apartments Resident Welfare Association (KARWA) on the issue of pollution in the township, the NGT found that the measures taken to check pollution in the township by the stakeholders were inadequate.Those asked to pay environmental compensation are the district magistrate of Ghaziabad, GDA, GMC, UP Pollution Control Board, Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation and senior superintendent of police of Ghaziabad. They have been asked to deposit the penalty amount with the Central Pollution Control Board by three weeks.
"An NGT bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, in its last hearing on April 21, had issued a show-cause notice to all concerned and had asked them why environmental compensation cost should not be imposed on them and in furtherance of this order the court levied penalty on six departments/authorities," said Ajay Kohli, lawyer for KARWA. "This was after the court examined the report by the expert committee on the level of pollution in Kaushambi which was very high," Kohli said.
The court had, on March 14, ordered the formation of an expert committee comprising representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board , Delhi Pollution Control Committee and UP Pollution Control Board and had asked it to survey the township and identify the sources of pollution. The committee on April 21 presented its report to the NGT, which revealed that PM10 in the township was 312 against the normal 100, while PM2.5 measured 204 against the normal 60. The court had then issued a show-cause notice to all stakeholders.