Green tribunal slams govt over noise pollution

New Delhi, November 20 

The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday slammed the Delhi government's awareness activities to tackle noise pollution, saying they were inadequate in terms of quality and quantity. 

The green panel said that steps should be properly planned and coordinated and an yearly action plan covering different thematic areas of environmental problems needs to be clearly identified. 

A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also said that penalty for bursting crackers needs to be revised. "The Central Pollution Control Board has suggested that compensation should be 2-3 times for second and third violations accompanied by withdrawal of permission for installation/operation for their equipment," the Bench said. 

The NGT also rapped the DPCC over noise pollution and said the progress made by it to control the problem can hardly be held to be adequate. "We are sorry to record that DPCC has been wholly amiss in performance of its duties. There is no satisfactory data about the action for violations though violations are rampant and widespread which is failure on the part," the Bench said. — PTI