Delhi govt moves SC seeking closure of 10 polluting thermal power plants in city’s vicinity

The Delhi government on Thursday said it has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking closure of 10 coal-fired power plants in the vicinity of the city using outdated polluting technology.

The 10 thermal power plants in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have been contributing significantly to air pollution in Delhi-NCR, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.

The Delhi government had written to the Central government requesting their cooperation on pollution from these TPPs, but “no help has been received so far. We hope the Supreme Court will take necessary steps and direct closure of these plants on an urgent basis”, he said in a statement.

The 10 power plants are – Dadri NCTPP, Harduaganj TPS, GH TPS (Lehra Mohabbat), Nabha TPP, Ropar TPS, Talwandi Sabo TPP, Yamunanagar TPS, Indira Gandhi STPP, Panipat TPS and Rajiv Gandhi TPS.

A 2018 study by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Automotive Research Association of India says 60 per cent of the PM 2.5 pollution in Delhi originates from sources outside the city, it said.