10 institutions including Noida Metro fined for violating pollution control norms

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has sent 31 notices to 10 institutions, including the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), the Noida authority, the Greater Noida authority as well as their contractors, for violating pollution control norms.

Maintaining that these notices were recommended earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials said the penalties were slapped after scrutiny by the district administration.

According to the administration, 15 notices have been issued against government and private institutions, asking them to pay a penalty of Rs 50,000 for each notice and 16 notices have been issued against three contractors working under the government authorities. The violators, administration officials said, will need to respond on the charges within a week. If they fail to do so, prosecution proceedings will be initiated against them, they said.

City magistrate Shailendra Mishra said, “The administration is serious about curbing pollution in the district. Following the Supreme Court order of November 26, we are going to start prosecution of all private and government body found violating pollution norms. Enough warnings have already been given.”

Officials said the NMRC has been pulled up for pollution around the areas such as sectors 143, 144 and 145, where Metro construction work is ongoing. Moreover, several plot owners in the industrial areas and UPSIDC site-4 of Surajpur have been sent notices. Additionally, 16 notices have been sent to contractors working under the Noida authority and whose vehicles were found carrying uncovered waste and construction materials to and from the sites.

Besides, the Greater Noida industrial development authority (GNIDA) has been penalised for not implementing pollution control measures at several locations along the a 130-metre-wide road, especially near Haibatpur village. UPPPCB officials said that they have warned the authority about the violations quite a few times but they have failed to take action.

“We repeatedly receive complaints from residents about dust being emanated from the 130 metre-wide road. We have sent these complaints to the Greater Noida authority and asked for regular water sprinkling. However, sufficient steps are not taken to control dust on this road. Several patches are also broken and need urgent blacktop work or they continue to gather dust,” an official from the UPPCB said.