Panipat: The Supreme Court has asked the Panipat Co-operative sugar mill to deposit Rs 10 lakh with the District Legal Service Authority within 4 weeks for polluting air. The court was hearing on the appeal made by the mill to reduce the fine slapped by NGT. The NGT had slapped fine of Rs 25 lakh on the mill after it found for emitting fly ash into the air on December 12. The NGT had also slapped Rs 5 lakh fine on the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) for not acting against the mill.
NGT acted on the complaint filed by Amit Kaushik regarding the fly ash emission by the mill affecting the health of the people residing near the mill. Following this, the HSPCB collected samples and found that the mill has crossed the parameters. The closure order was issued to the mill which was revoked after mill upgraded the pollution control devices.
Acting against the NGT order, MD of mill appealed in the SC citing the up gradation mechanism to control pollution and to reduce the fine of Rs 25 lakh.
