The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 crore on the Punjab government for failing to manage solid and liquid waste in the state despite several warnings. This amount has to be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCP) within a month.
NGT impose a fine on the Punjab government
- Penalties imposed in the last six months: The NGT has imposed this fine for failure in solid and liquid waste management. The fine was calculated on the basis of six environmental fines imposed for 5.387 million tonnes of waste in the last month and untreated sewage due to gap in sewage treatment capacity.
- Repeated violations: The tribunal found that the Punjab government had also failed to comply with its previous orders in the year 2022, including creation of a ring-fenced account for Rs 2,080 crore under Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010. The NGT has issued show cause notices to the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development) of Punjab, seeking their explanation.
Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
- These rules replaced the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 and focused on segregation of waste at source, producer responsibility for disposal of sanitary and packaging waste, collection of waste from large waste producers, user charges for disposal and processing.
Key Features
- The responsibility of the producers is to segregate the waste into three categories – wet (biodegradable), dry (plastic, paper, metal, wood, etc.) and household hazardous waste (diapers, mosquito repellents, etc.) and hand over the segregated waste to authorised ragpickers or waste collectors or local bodies.
Waste producers will have to pay
- User charges’ to the waste collectors.
- Spot fine’ for dumping and non-segregation of waste.
National Green Tribunal
- NGT was established on 18 October 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.
- Its main objective is to provide speedy and efficient resolution of cases related to environmental protection, conservation of forests and conservation of natural resources.
- The tribunal is headed by a chairperson, appointed by the central government in consultation with the CJI, who sits on the main bench and consists of at least 10-20 judicial members and experts.
Jurisdiction
- The jurisdiction of the tribunal extends to enforcement of environmental rights, awarding relief and compensation for damage to persons and property and adjudicating cases related to environmental protection
- Apart from original jurisdiction to file applications, the NGT also has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals as a court (tribunal).
The NGT adjudicates civil cases under the following laws
- Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
- Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act,
- Forest (Conservation) Act,
- Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
- Environment (Protection) Act,
- Public Liability Insurance Act,
- Biological Diversity Act, 2002