Gurgaon:
National Green Tribunal (NGT) came down heavily on the state govt over a matter pertaining to an industrial plant and has demanded a fresh action-taken report within six weeks. The matter will next be heard on May 15.
The NGT rap on Feb 25 comes after a joint committee report that flagged a series of "glaring" pollution-control failures at the cement plant — from missing green belts to dust clouds drifting into a nearby village.
Hearing a plea filed by a villager, Sunil Kashyap, the bench of chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad said the Feb 27, 2025 inspection report — filed by the joint panel — revealed violations that "could not be ignored".
The committee found that although the unit sat on 34.6 acres, with 11.72 acres marked as green belt, not a single patch of green cover existed towards Khukhrana village in Panipat, despite it being part of the approved site plan. The unit's promise to add 950 sq m of green belt there remained only on paper.
Even the boundary wall towards the village drew criticism. The 10–12 ft structure, the committee said, was far too low to block dust from reaching homes. Inspectors recommended raising it beyond the height of trucks carrying cement and raw material. Work to extend the wall with GI (Galvanized Iron) sheets was found in progress, a sign, the report hinted, that the unit was scrambling to comply. GI sheets are rust-resistant, zinc-coated steel sheets designed for durability in harsh weather, commonly used in roofing, construction and automotive applications.
On the ground, however, the situation was stark: trees around the truck parking area were coated in thick dust, signalling ineffective suppression. The plant relied solely on manual water sprinkling through tractors and tankers, but visible dust still swirled across the ash-handling zone and the parking area. The committee said fixed sprinklers, not makeshift methods, were the only solution.
Because the plant was shut during inspection, neither stack emissions nor ambient air quality, including in Khukhrana, could be measured, leaving a crucial gap in the pollution assessment.
The CPCB's counsel told the tribunal that even if some violations were "subsequently attended to", Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) failed to act against past breaches.
With the HSPCB's counsel seeking more time, the tribunal granted the board time to file a detailed report. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
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Ipsita Pati is an environment journalist with over a decade of ex...
Read MoreIpsita Pati is an environment journalist with over a decade of experience, currently reporting for The Times of India. She covers climate change, land use, and green laws, with a focus on regulatory accountability. Her work highlights the environmental implications of policy decisions and development on ground.
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