UP govt fined Rs 10 cr over unchecked Ganga pollution

National Green Tribunal has pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to check sewage discharge containing toxic chromium into River Ganga at Rania and Rakhi Mandi in Kanpur and slapped a penalty of Rs 10 crore on it.

The NGT principal bench, headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, also imposed a Rs 280 crore penalty against 22 tanneries for causing pollution by discharging untreated sewage containing toxic chromium into the Ganga.

The Tribunal also said the state government's failure to tackle pollution for the last 43-years has led to severe contamination of groundwater and affected the health of inhabitants.

"The state government is liable to deposit the said assessed amount in an ESCROW account for the restoration of the environment and the public health in the area. The deposit may be made within a month", the tribunal said.

"The State of UP is held liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs 10 crore for damage to the environment for permitting the discharge of untreated sewage containing toxic chromium into the Ganga. The State of UP is at liberty to recover the amount from the erring officers apart from taking action against the persons responsible in the manner," the bench said.

It also held the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board liable and directed it to pay Rs 1 crore for ignoring illegal discharge of sewage and other effluent containing toxic chromium directly into the Ganga.