A committee has informed the National Green Tribunal that it has initiated proceedings to recover Rs 17.08 lakh environmental compensation from brick kilns illegally operating in Balrampur and Gonda districts in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee, comprising the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), member secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and Deputy Director, Mining Department told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that they have made an assessment of damage done due to illegal kilns and the amount has been estimated as Rs 17.08 lakh.
The submission came while hearing a plea filed by Uttar Pradesh resident Siyaram seeking action taken against illegal operation of brick kilns and sand mining in Balrampur and Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.
Noting the submission, the green panel disposed of the matter.
The NGT said regulatory authorities are not only required to prohibit illegal polluting activities but are also required to recover compensation for the damage caused to the environment, apart from prosecution. Failure to do so may call for action against the authorities themselves.
It had earlier said wherever the vehicles are found to be involved in illegal mining and are seized, the same may not be released without payment of 50 per cent of the showroom value of such vehicles.
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