The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to collect a water cess of Rs.50,000 per year from all water-packaging industries in Bawana and Narela here for extracting groundwater from its inception till December 31, 2012.
The order was passed by the Tribunal after noting that these industries had failed to pay consumption charges for using underground water to the DJB all these years.
A Bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, directed these industries to apply for installing bore wells within one week and listed the matter for hearing on September 8.
The Tribunal, however, asked other industrial units in the area to pay Rs.20,000 per year per bore well.
“It needs to be noticed that all these industrial units are bound to pay water cess under The Water (Prevention and Control Of Pollution) Cess Act, 1974, as well as appropriate water consumption charges to the Jal Board for extraction and utilisation of underground water as they have failed to pay for all these years.”
“If the industry is a water packaging industry and is extracting water for that purpose, that unit shall pay a sum of Rs.50,000 per year per bore well for utilisation for the period ending up to December 31, 2012,” the Bench said.
It also warned that the defaulting units shall be sealed without any further notice.
The Tribunal’s order came on the petitions filed by the NGT Bar Association and one Raj Hans Bansal who had opposed the illegal use of groundwater in Delhi.
(Source: PTI)
