The Supreme Court has paused the NGT’s Rs 50.44 crore penalty on the Delhi Jal Board and MCD for allegedly failing to control Yamuna pollution. Notices have been issued to both bodies as the case proceeds.
New Delhi: On August 7, the Supreme Court on Friday stopped the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order that had fined the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) a total of Rs 50.44 crore for allegedly failing to stop the pollution of the Yamuna river.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria, put a stay on the NGT’s November 2024 penalty order and sent notices on the appeals filed by the DJB and the MCD.
Every winter, visuals of the Yamuna river covered with a thick layer of white froth become viral on social media.
This froth is mainly caused by high ammonia levels in the water, which happen because untreated sewage and industrial waste are discharged directly into the river. During the winter, the flow of the river is low, which makes the situation worse.
In November 2024, the NGT had ordered the DJB and the MCD to deposit Rs 25.22 crore each with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
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The tribunal had strongly criticised the DJB for
“allowing drains carrying untreated sewage and industrial waste to merge with stormwater channels despite repeated directions to maintain separate lines.”
It said that untreated sewage in stormwater drains was getting discharged into the Yamuna, which was “severely polluting the river.”
The tribunal had also pulled up the MCD for
“covering parts of stormwater drains with concrete to create additional parking space,” calling it an “unmindful and illegal activity.”
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It added that this act had
“altered the shape of the drains, making cleaning and desilting impossible.”
Earlier this year, in a separate case related to Yamuna pollution, the Supreme Court had observed that cleaning the river might see better results because of the “changed circumstances” in Delhi, referring to the recent elections in which the BJP had defeated the AAP.
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