Rs 5,000 penalty for open burning of waste

Acting on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi government has authorised field-level officers to impose a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found burning garbage, leaves, plastic, rubber or other waste materials in the open.

The order, issued by the Department of Environment, aims to curb one of the most widespread sources of local air pollution in the capital.

The move follows a series of NGT orders in the long-running case Vardhaman Kaushik vs Union of India, in which the tribunal had prohibited open burning of all forms of waste back in April 2015.

The NGT had also specified that violators -- or anyone abetting such burning -- would be liable to pay compensation under Section 15 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, with a fixed penalty of Rs 5,000 to be collected on the spot, according to the order.

In its latest directive, the Environment Department has empowered deputy tehsildars and above in the district administration, as well as sanitary inspectors and senior officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), to enforce the fine. The order states that the NGT’s directions must be treated as a civil court decree and implemented strictly by the designated officers.

All collected compensation is to be deposited in the Delhi pollution control committee’s bank account, and the authorised officers have been instructed to submit monthly action-taken reports to the DPCC without fail.

Open burning of waste remains a routine source of toxic emissions in several parts of Delhi, particularly during the winter months when air quality dips sharply.

The government noted that the latest enforcement order aims to strengthen on-ground action and ensure compliance with the NGT’s long-standing prohibition.