NGT directs DJB to collect water cess from water-packaging

The National Green Tribunal has directed 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 ground water 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 DJB all these years.
A bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, directed these industries to apply for installing borewells within one week and listed the matter for next hearing on September 8.
The Tribunal, however, asked other industrial units in the area to pay Rs 20,000 per year per borewell.

"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 DJB for extraction and utilization 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 borewell for utilization for the period ending upto December 31, 2012," the bench said.
It also warned that units, which do not deposit the money with DJB along with their applications for installation of borewell within the stipulated time, 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.