Delhi: DPCC frames new SOP for recovery of eco compensation

DPCC has proposed a new SOP to NGT for timely imposition and recovery of environmental compensation from violators, aiming to enhance accountability.

Published on: Jul 15, 2025, 05:28:09 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has submitted a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to streamline the imposition and recovery of environmental compensation (EC) from violators of environmental laws.

Delhi: DPCC frames new SOP for recovery of eco compensation

The SOP, prepared in June, defines strict timelines to reduce delays and ensure accountability. According to the document, a show cause notice must be issued within five working days of an inspection, while the order to impose EC must be passed within 60 days of serving the notice.

Once the EC is imposed, violators will be given 15 days to deposit the penalty. If unpaid, two reminders will follow. “If the EC is not realised within 90 days from the order date, a recovery letter will be sent to the concerned SDM with the member secretary’s approval,” the SOP stated.

To be sure, EC is a monetary penalty levied on polluters, and funds collected are used for ecological restoration. Though a policy for EC imposition was prepared in 2022, this SOP aims to accelerate recovery and limit pendency. “Timelines are clearly defined to ensure a fixed process of notice issuance and recovery,” a DPCC official said.

The SOP follows an NGT directive in January asking DPCC to detail recovery steps in cases where no legal appeal or stay is pending.

According to data submitted to NGT, between 2015 and June 30, 2025, ₹130.5 crore was recovered as EC, and ₹59 crore was spent on its utilisation. The highest share — ₹19.62 crore — went to water body rejuvenation, followed by ₹13.9 crore on publicity and printing. Funds were also used for air monitoring stations, lab instruments, and research.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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