NGT directs CPCB to submit report on Anpara thermal power plant

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit report on the emission standards of the Anpara thermal power plant located at Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh. A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim reteirated its earlier direction and asked the apex pollution monitoring body to file the report by April 12. The green panel also directed the chief general manager of the power plant to be present before it after noting that there was no record of his presence on the earlier date. "We reiterate the directions of our order dated December 7, 2017 and call upon the CPCB to file its report and we again direct Chief General Manager of the said plant to be present.

We make it clear that the report shall be filed by CPCB within one week after serving copy on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change," the panel said. The tribunal had earlier noted that Anpara thermal plant in Sonabhadra district of UP was found to be worst amongst all the other thermal power plants in the state in terms of emission standards. It had earlier directed the CPCB to inspect sites where thermal power plants were discharging effluents in the Ganga basin or pay Rs one lakh as fine. The tribunal had asked the counsel for the CPCB to physically examine the sites where thermal power plants are located in the first phase of Ganga cleansing project between Gomukh and Haridwar. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by NGO, Indian Council for Enviro Legal Action, seeking regulation of thermal power plants located in the Ganga river basin. The plea had also sought directions to ensure that fly ash is not released into the Ganga river or its tributaries. It had alleged that there were more than 25-year-old power plants, which were not technologically advanced and were polluting the river.

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