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CPCB gets February 15 deadline to take ‘meaningful’ action
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is fuming at the non-implementation of its order asking the state pollution control boards to recover compensation for environmental damage caused by the polluting units in 100 industrial clusters over the past five years.
The pollution watchdog has warned of ‘coercive’ action against chairmen and member secretaries of state pollution control boards if they don’t submit ‘meaningful’ action against the clusters, 10 of which are in Gujarat, by February 15, 2020.
In July, NGT had directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to assess and recover compensation from polluting units in 100 industrial clusters across the country, including 10 clusters in Gujarat, for a period of last five years.
NGT fixed interim compensation to be collected from large polluting units at Rs 1 crore, for medium-scale units it was Rs 50 lakh and in case of small industry the amount was Rs 25 lakh.
The directions were issued by NGT in its November 14 order. The NGT reiterated its order of July this year, when it had directed CPCB and state pollution control boards to take recover compensation and furnish report regarding closure of polluting activities.
The tribunal, which was hearing the issue of conversion of coal-based gasifiers in Morbi ceramic cluster into gas-based ones, had noted in July “while remedial action may certainly be planned, current violation of law could not be ignored and was actionable by way of stopping polluting activities initiating prosecution and recovering compensation on ‘polluter pays’ principal.”
The NGT had then directed CPCB to assess compensation to be recovered form the polluting units for a period of last five years taking into the account the cost of restoration, damage to the public health and environment, and deterrence element.
The green tribunal in its November 14 order warned “On default, the tribunal will have no option except to proceed against the chairman and member secretaries of pollution control board by way of coercive action.” The action may include replacement of persons heading pollution control boards or direction for stopping their salaries till the meaningful action for compliance of order of this this tribunal, the NGT asserted.
The CPCB has categorized industrial clusters in three categories — Critically Polluted Area (CPA), Severally Polluted Area (SPA) and Other Polluted Area (OPA).
The tribunal has asked CPCB to follow it’s earlier order in case of Vapi Green Enviro Limited to calculate interim compensation till the time it completes assessing environmental damage caused by individual units.
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