NGT sets Sept 30 deadline for units to apply for borewells

The National Green Tribunal today directed all unauthorised borewell units operating without its consent in Bawana and Narela industrial areas here to apply according to norms by September 30.
A bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, directed that any unit which is operating illegally and without submitting the application shall be sealed thereafter.
It directed that any unit which has installed or has been operating borewells without submitting applications should do so by September 30 along with deposits of the amounts stated in the tribunal's August 22 order.
"Any unit which is operating illegally and without submitting the application along with the requisite amount by the afore-stated date shall be sealed by the team as already directed," the bench said.

It also directed that all the applications which are filed by September 30 shall be disposed of by the competent authority expeditiously.
It also ordered that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in consultation with the city government shall file a status report of complete compliance of all the directions on October 29, the next date of hearing.

The tribunal had on August 22 directed 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.

It had asked other industrial units in the area to pay Rs 20,000 per year per borewell.
The tribunal's order came on the petitions filed by the NGT Bar Association and Raj Hans Bansal, who had opposed the illegal use of groundwater in Delhi.