POLLUTION: GOVT RELEASES ACTION REPORT ON DEFAULTERS
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday released the data regarding action taken by various regulatory agencies against violators responsible for different sources of air pollution in the national Capital.
The Revenue department has so far issued 854 challans against the violators of dust control measures and recovered around Rs 1.61 crore.
The violators of dust control measures were not spared by Municipal Corporations either.
Over 300 construction sites were penalised for violating dust pollution norms in the city although the drive against open burning of waste did not gather as much steam. Analysis of data shared by the Delhi government brought out the trend. Around Rs 2 crore has been recovered by the government departments and civic bodies empowered to act against dust violators since November 2015.
Agencies, including the Delhi government’s Revenue Department, PWD, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and all the civic bodies hold the power to fine construction norms’ violators and those who burn waste in the open.
The data shows that the Revenue department, EDMC, SDMC, North MCD, NDMC challaned around 342 sites in the months of September, October and November, while only 90 waste burning violators were penalised during the same period.
The National Green Tribunal had directed all land owning agencies in Delhi to impose a fine of Rs 5,000 on persons found burning waste like leaves in the open and Rs 5 lakh on the owners/builders who are found violating dust control measures.
The Revenue department has issued only 136 challans against people found burning waste in the open in the last one year while the same stands
at 242 for EDMC and 262 for North MCD.
Environment Minister Imran Hussain appealed to all
land owning agencies to intensify their inspection. The report of the Iit-kanpur study titled ‘Source Apportionment Study
of PM2.5 and PM10’ had identified trucks and dust as the largest contributors behind city’s polluted air.