Okhla plant to become operational by Feb 28, NGT told

Almost 90 per cent work at the Okhla waste-to-energy plant has already been completed and it will be fully operational by February 28, the National Green Tribunal has been informed.
An undertaking in this regard was submitted before a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar by a top official of JINDAL Urban Infrastructure Limited, the project proponent of the plant.
"We dispose of this application while accepting the undertaking given by Neelesh Gupta, Whole Time Director on behalf of the project proponent and direct that the mechanical segregation plant should become operational by February 28, 2017.
"In the event of default, the project proponent would be liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs 50 lakhs and would also be liable for being proceeded against for violation of the undertaking given to the tribunal which has already been stated as accepted," the bench said.

The green panel also directed the Central Pollution Control Board and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to inspect the waste-to-energy plant on February 22 and 23 and submit a report on it.
On February 2, the tribunal had allowed Okhla waste-to- energy plant, located in south Delhi's Sukhdev Vihar, to run after noting that it was non-polluting but imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 25 lakh for its deficient operation earlier.
It held that the project proponent is liable to pay EC of Rs 25 lakh in terms of provisions of the NGT Act for the pollution resulting from deficient functioning/operation of plant and its stack emissions being in excess of prescribed parameters upto the period of December 18, 2014.

The tribunal's verdict had come on a petition filed by residents of Sukhdev Vihar alleging that the plant was releasing "toxic" emissions which had affected their health.