More than two years after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Adani-owned Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) thermal power plant to pay a penalty of Rs 52 crore for causing environmental harm, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has yet to take any action, according to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The NGT, in its judgment dated May 31, 2022, ordered UPCL to compensate for environmental damage and health impacts resulting from the plant’s operations. The tribunal noted that the company had already paid Rs 5 crore as interim compensation and instructed UPCL to pay the remaining amount within three months. The CPCB was tasked with recovering the penalty if UPCL failed to comply. However, two years after the September 2022 deadline expired, the CPCB has not taken steps to enforce the payment.
The CPCB justified its inaction, citing UPCL’s appeal to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court has not granted any stay on the NGT’s order. An RTI response from the CPCB revealed that the appeal filed by UPCL on August 26, 2022, was not listed before the court for hearing, despite corrections to the appeal’s defects being made weeks after the NGT’s deadline. The Janajagruti Samithi, which filed the case leading to the NGT’s order, had also filed a caveat before the appeal.
The NGT had also mandated a joint committee to assess agricultural damage caused by the thermal plant and determine compensation for affected farmers. Balakrishna S Shetty, the executive president of Janajagruti Samithi, criticized the lack of action, emphasizing that the appeal should not relieve authorities of their responsibilities in addressing the health and environmental concerns of the affected community.
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