Panipat: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given its decision on the appeal of a farmer of Sutana village made in 2019 about the ash of the thermal plant is getting mixed in the air and spreading polluting in the environment, when the National and State Pollution Control Board was constituted a committee including Deputy Commissioner Panipat on 20th January 2023 to submit a report, submitted on 10th April 2023. However, the officials of the thermal plant said in their argument that they have planted 98 thousand trees.
According to the NGT decision imposing a penalty worth over Rs 6.90 crore to be deposited within a month towards an environmental penalty on Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS) for causing environmental damage. This penalty has to be deposited within a month, if it is not deposited within the stipulated time period, compensation on the thermal power plant and also be increased for harming the environment. Information also reveals that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also imposed penalties on liquor factories, NFL and Ansal for causing environmental damage to the residents in the area. On the other hand, Panipat Thermal Power Station has assured the court that 108 lakh metric tonnes of ash stored in ash dams will be disposed of scientifically and safely within two to three years. NGT has directed to completely clean the ash by July 31, 2027.
Sutana village resident Subhendra had said in his petition that the ash coming out of the power generation by Panipat Thermal Power Station in Khukhrana village is being illegally dumped in the surrounding areas. In summer, ash particles spread in the surrounding villages like Sutana, Jatal, Khukhrana, Untla and Asan, due to this, the people residing there and the passers by have developed serious breathing problems. In his complaint on 20the May 2022, he had mentioned that the ash flew into the houses in the strong storm in the evening. On 22 September 2022, the National Green Tribunal had directed the committee to investigate the ash being illegally dumped by the thermal power station.
The committee headed by the DC inspected the place personally alongwith the other members and submitted its report to the NGT. The thermal officials argued in the court that they had planted 98 thousand trees, but they do not know how many of them are still alive. The court said that planting trees without ensuring their survival is neither an effective step nor does it serve any purpose of environmental protection. NGT has directed the power plant to plant various types of trees in the designated area. Also ensure that they survive for the next five years. Similarly, they have also been asked to create a green belt. NGT has also asked the thermal authorities to consult the forest department officer.
