Legacy waste: SC stays NGT order directing Punjab govt to pay over Rs 1,000 crore

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order of the National Green Tribunal, which had imposed over Rs 1,000 crore as environmental compensation on Punjab for failing to manage legacy waste and untreated sewage in the state.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notice to the Centre and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the appeal filed by the state government against the NGT order.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi appeared for the state government.

The NGT in its July 25 order had directed Punjab through the chief secretary to deposit Rs. 10,261,908,000 towards environmental compensation with the CPCB within one month. “Repeated orders have been passed from time to time giving opportunity to State of Punjab in the hope and trust that it will take serious, substantial and urgent steps to comply with provisions of Environmental Laws and in particular Section 24 of Water Act, 1974 but we are at pain to observe that State of Punjab has miserably failed in showing such compliance or any bonafide intention of compliance.

“In our view, enough is enough. Now time has come where stringent, punitive and preventive action/order is required at the end of this Tribunal otherwise we will also be failing in our duty in taking appropriate steps despite noticing recurring, consistent and persistent defiance and non-compliance of environmental laws on the part of State of Punjab and we do not want to be a party to this situation,” the NGT had said.

Legacy waste is municipal waste kept on barren land for years.