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‘Repeated violation of pollution norms’: NGT pulls up Noida Authority, seeks reply

Tribunal asks UP pollution board to calculate period of violation, compensation.

The tribunal directed strict compliance and ordered UPPCB to monitor violations and calculate environmental compensation for ongoing breaches.The National Green Tribunal reprimanded Noida Authority for daily pollution norm violations during road and construction work, noting only Rs 1 crore has been recovered from Rs 27 crore in penalties imposed over recent years.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday pulled up the Noida Authority over allegedly violating pollution norms repeatedly, while directing strict implementation. It also observed that despite the imposition of compensation worth Rs 27 crore in the past few years, only Rs 1 crore has been recovered so far.

The observations were made by a bench headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr A Senthil Vel. It was hearing a petition by RTI activist Amit Gupta who has alleged sustained and large-scale violations of pollution control norms across multiple sectors.

The tribunal recorded that in its response, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) too has said that the Noida Authority was violating norms “on a daily basis”.

Gupta alleged that multiple agencies including the Noida Authority, Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), Jal Vibhag, and private contractors, were carrying out road-digging, cable-laying and pipeline works without following norms.He said these have caused severe dust pollution, damage to roads, green belts and trees.

According to the applicant, despite repeated complaints over the past four years, which include more than 40 representations to the Noida Authority, district administration, UPPCB, CPCB and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), there has been little action on the ground.

“It is disheartening that instead of initiating legal action against responsible officers of Noida Authority, CPCB and CAQM have limited their response to issuing letters and emails,” he claimed, adding that such a “passive approach stands in stark contrast to the urgency of the situation”.

He stated that “no team from CPCB or CAQM visited the affected areas to check the ground reality,” and alleged that pollution control agencies were “only controlling pollution on paper”.

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He also highlighted the allocation of over Rs 56 crore to Noida under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

In one such communication cited in the CAQM’s affidavit, he wrote that the air monitoring station at Sector 116 had recorded AQI levels above 350 for several consecutive days due to dust pollution from road excavation and construction activity.

“Despite GRAP-III being applicable and Noida being among the most polluted cities, there is not even one per cent improvement on the ground,” he stated, attaching photographs of dust-covered roads and debris allegedly lying unattended.

In its counter-affidavit, the CAQM stated that many complaints were forwarded to the Noida Authority on the same day for investigation. The Commission said it had directed authorities to ensure compliance with GRAP measures and take necessary steps under existing environmental regulation, but that the on-ground enforcement rests with the local authorities.

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Taking note of the submissions, the tribunal directed that the Chief Executive Officer of the Noida Authority must ensure environmental norms are strictly followed. “It is expected that the CEO, Noida Authority will ensure that whenever the work is undertaken, the environmental norms are not violated,” the bench said.

The tribunal also directed the UPPCB to regularly monitor violations and calculate environmental compensation for both past and ongoing breaches.

“The UPPCB will ascertain the period of violation for each such violation and give the calculation of environmental compensation in respect of the violations till now or which take place till the next date of hearing,” the order stated.

The bench has granted four weeks to the Noida Authority to file its reply and two weeks thereafter for the applicant to file a rejoinder.

Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh. Professional Profile Education: She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Core Beats: Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime. Specialization: She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions. Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025) Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context: 1. Politics: “On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections. “Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding. 2. Longforms “Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud… “How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it. 3. Crime and Justice: “He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh. “Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases. 4. Policy Impact “At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters. Signature Style Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives. X (Twitter): @SamanHusain9 ... Read More

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