NGT Orders Delhi Government to Shut Down Industrial Units Operational in Residential Areas

NGT Orders Delhi Government to Close Down Over 4,770 Industrial Units in Residential Areas

The National Green Tribunal has ordered the Delhi government to instantly closed down 4,774 industrial units operating in residential areas.

A board conducted by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel announced the order after studying a report registered by an Oversight Committee, led by former judge Justice Pratibha Rani, which said that show-cause notices have been issued to 4,774 industries located in residential areas in different local bodies.

However, Delhi’s chief secretary told the NGT that show cause procedure is irrelevant considering the orders of the Supreme Court.

“Therefore, show-cause notice to 4,774 industries was wrongly issued instead of immediately such units being closed,” the NGT noted.

“Let all such units which have been illegally restarted be closed immediately in terms of the order of the Supreme Court without any further procedure of show cause notice and forceful steps regarding recovery of compensation for illegal development of such units be chosen in accordance with the law, apart from the beginning of prosecution.

“Failure to do so shall be viewed seriously and forceful action against the guilty municipal commissioner of the said corporation would be taken including an entry in their ACR column and stoppage of salary,” the tribunal said.

The green tribunal also said that unfinished work of such a survey of all 29,877 units is also completed, the action is taken before 31st December and the status report filed on or before 15th January 2020, by e-mail.

The NGT had previously designated a committee directed by a former Delhi high court judge to deal with almost 52,000 industrial units that are running illegally in residential areas of the Delhi.

The NGT has directed the committee to consider charge and said the answerability for making the panel working will rest on the Delhi chief secretary and DPCC Chairman.

The tribunal may investigate the hot spots and other sites for which Delhi Police will give the required security, it had said.

The tribunal had earlier remarked a news report printed in an English daily claiming that thousands of polluting industries are openly operating in the city right under the nose of civic authorities.

The report had affirmed that Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) recently recorded 51,837 units operating from residential areas and ordered the three municipal corporations to start action against them.

According to the news, the industries were heading to water and air pollution in the areas as they do not have a license or permission to operate.

The analysis of the data announced by DSIIDC presents that most of the breaches experienced in Moti Nagar, Mansarovar Garden, Najafgarh, Kirti Nagar, and Ramesh Nagar all in west Delhi; Ashram, Maharani Bagh, Bhogal, Jangpura, and Mahipalpur in south Delhi; Gandhi Nagar, Jheel, Jafrabad, Kailash Nagar, Shahdara, and Shastri Nagar in east Delhi; and Sadar Bazar, Ballimaran, Malkaganj, Lal Kuan, Chandni Chowk, and Kashmere Gate in north Delhi.

The report further stated that other highly affected areas are Karol Bagh, Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Old Rajinder Nagar in central Delhi; Shahdara, Vishwas Nagar,  GT Road, and Babarpur in northeast Delhi; and Burari and Jagatpuri in northwest Delhi.