NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has directed the AAP government to immediately shut down 4,774 industrial units running in residential areas.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel passed the order after perusing a report filed by an Oversight Committee, headed by former judge Justice Pratibha Rani, which said that show-cause notices have been issued to industries located in residential areas in different municipal corporations.
Delhi Chief Secretary, however, told the NGT that show cause procedure is unnecessary in view of the orders of the Supreme Court.
“Thus, show cause notice to 4,774 was wrongly issued instead of straightway such units being closed,” the NGT noted.
“Let all such units which have been illegally restarted be closed forthwith in terms of order of the Supreme Court without any further procedure of show cause notice……Failure to do so shall be viewed seriously and coercive action against the responsible municipal commissioner of the said corporation would be taken including entry in their ACR column and stoppage of salary,” the tribunal said.
The green panel also said that pending work of such survey of all 29,877 units be also completed, action be taken before December 31 and status report filed on or before January 15, 2020.
The tribunal had earlier taken note of a news report published in an English daily alleging that thousands of polluting industries are being brazenly run in the city right under the nose of authorities.
“The analysis of the data released by that Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) shows most violations in Moti Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Najafgarh, Ashram, Jangpura, Maharani Bagh, Shastri Nagar, Kailash Nagar, Jafrabad, Shahdara,” the report said.