NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has imposed fines worth Rs 6 lakh in Noida and Rs 10 lakh in Ghaziabad after receiving complaints regarding air pollution.
The offenders are mostly construction contractors in Noida and malls in Ghaziabad.
The penalty details have been forwarded to the district administration in Ghaziabad and in Noida, the fine details against Noida Authority vendors have been sent to the officials there. The rest have been sent to the administration.
Twelve offenders have been pulled up in Noida, including eight Noida Authority vendors, for causing dust pollution at construction sites in sectors 104, 76, 77, 79, 63, 52 and 2 and near the fire station in Sector 58. Fines have also been imposed on a mall at Sector 75, a hospital in Sector 50, and two private plots in Sector 1. A penalty of Rs 50,000 has been recommended against each of the violators by the UPPCB. The total amount is Rs 6 lakh.
In Ghaziabad, penalties of Rs 5 lakh each have been imposed on two malls. Officials said the amount is higher for the Ghaziabad establishments, as they occupy a larger area.
“We are getting complaints from residents of Noida and Ghaziabad. We conduct surprise inspections and recommend fines wherever required. Usually, in winters, the air quality is poor and by not following the pollution norms, these establishments end up harming themselves as well as those around. We hope that after these penalties, other people comply with the pollution norms,” said Utsav Sharma, the regional officer, UPPCB (Noida and Ghaziabad).
He added that with an action plan in place, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has been able to control pollution in the city to a large extent. The city has been divided into eight zones, each headed by a nodal officer, to monitor and control air pollution.
