India News | SC Upholds NGT’s Rs 58.38 Crore Fine on Agra Civic Body for ‘polluting’ Yamuna

New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI)The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an appeal by the Agra Nagar Nigam challenging a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order that imposed a Rs 58.38 crore environmental compensation on the civic body for failing to control pollution.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra rejected the civic body’s appeal, remarking it had done “nothing” to mitigate the pollution and had instead “created hell” for the environment and residents.

Also Read | Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: PM Narendra Modi Accuses Congress of Making Attempts To Snatch Reservations From Tribals, Give It to Its Vote Bank.

The NGT had penalised the Agra Nagar Nigam for reportedly allowing untreated sewage to flow into the Yamuna River between February and December 2023.

The bench noted that the city’s sewage treatment plants were not operating to their full potential, which contributed to the persistent pollution of the Yamuna.

Also Read | Are Apples Injected With Poison? Is Sticker Used To Hide Injection Hole? As ‘Apple Jihad’ Viral Video Garners Over 1 Million Views, Here’s a Fact Check.

The NGT, in its April order, had directed Agra Nagar Nigam to deposit the Rs 58.38 crore fine with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board within three months, emphasising the need for accountability in cases of environmental damage.

Following the order, the civic body moved the Supreme Court, seeking relief from paying the fine.

The top court upheld the NGT’s penalty but struck down the tribunal’s observations regarding the potential liability of officials under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The NGT had previously commented on the lack of enforcement by authorities under the PMLA, stating that inaction had encouraged environmental violations to continue unchecked.

“More than 11 years have passed since the 2013 amendment to the PMLA, yet the Enforcement Directorate has not taken action against violators of environmental laws included in the Act’s Schedule A,” the tribunal noted in its order.

The NGT emphasised that the inclusion of environmental violations under the PMLA indicated Parliament’s intent to treat such infractions as severe offences, but lax enforcement had undermined this legislative effort.

The top court’s decision reinforces the NGT’s stance on holding civic bodies accountable for environmental degradation, especially concerning critical waterways like the Yamuna.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, Pune Media Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}