DPCC revises penalty on Delhi Jal Board from ₹10L to ₹1.5cr

The DPCC found that the plant was operating without a mandatory consent to operate (CTO), and was poorly maintained, with a drain parallel to the plant releasing untreated wastewater entering the pond

New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing a plea filed in 2022 by resident Amit Aggarwal, alleging large-scale concretisation in Smriti Van. (HT Archive)

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), withdrawing notice for a ₹10 lakh penalty, imposed ₹1.5 crore as environmental cost on the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for violations at its decentralised sewage treatment plant (DSTP) in Vasant Kunj’s Smriti Van.

The DPCC found that the plant was operating without a mandatory consent to operate (CTO), and was poorly maintained, with a drain parallel to the plant releasing untreated wastewater entering the pond.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing a plea filed in 2022 by resident Amit Aggarwal, alleging large-scale concretisation in Smriti Van. The tribunal has also sought details on the condition of Smriti Van and Macchli Ka Talab, which lies within the 34.5-acre area of the ridge.

The revised penalty follows directions from the NGT, which questioned how the earlier environmental cost (EC) amount was calculated and asked the DPCC to re-examine the justification for the penalty issued on August 4.

The NGT had sought clarity on how the plant was approved inside a DDA park, which is part of the ecologically sensitive ridge.

In a report dated November 12, the DPCC stated that the 1,100 KLD DSTP had been operating since October 2022 without mandatory consent to operate until May 2025. Inspections in 2024 and 2025 found the plant non-operational while DPCC officials noticed a drain parallel to the water body, through which untreated sewage was directly entering the pond. Even the water quality parameters of the pond did not meet the permissible standards.

After the NGT asked the DPCC to re-evaluate the penalty of ₹10 lakh imposed on the DJB, the DPCC’s internal committee met on October 16 and adopted a new methodology, applying the formula used for “red-category” industries under its environmental compensation policy. The committee calculated violations over 464 days, including 289 days when the plant was operating without consent, during which the penalty amount is doubled.

“Fresh show cause notice for imposition Environmental Compensation of ₹1.56 crore has been issued to Delhi Jal Board on Nov 11,” said the report.