The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s western bench, on September 3, 2025, directed the Faizpur Municipal Council in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district to pay Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC) of Rs 1,465 lakh towards non-compliance of sewage management and Rs 122 lakh towards non-compliance of solid waste and legacy waste management up to May 2025.
The court ordered the municipality to deposit the compensation amount with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) within a period of one month. The MPCB had calculated the EDC.
The NGT had, on July 17, 2023, directed Faizpur Municipal Council to take measures on war footing in order to take care of the sewage as well as legacy waste. It directed MPCB to assess the environmental compensation to be paid by the municipal council.
An application filed on March 28, 2025, stated that no efforts were made by the municipal council to clear the sewage as well as the legacy waste nor has the MPCB shown any calculation of the EDC for the period of default.
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) expressed its inability to impose environmental compensation (EC) on the Municipal Council of Lar in the state’s Deoria district for discharging untreated sewage.
UPPCB cited the order of the Lucknow bench of the High Court at Allahabad (Writ Petition (C) No 4816 of 2024). The order said that “the State Pollution Control Board has no power to impose environmental compensation upon any person or industry, and it can merely file an application before the NGT under Section 15 read with Section 18 of the NGT Act for issuance of a direction to the person concerned for payment of compensation”.
The pollution control board has no authority to impose environmental compensation directly, in view of the High Court of Allahabad order, UPPCB said. It has thus not been imposed EC.
The matter related to discharge of untreated sewage by the Municipal Council Lar on open land having khasra number 1712, in violation of norms.
The report of UPPCB on September 5, 2025, to the NGT mentioned steps taken by the Municipal Council of Lar to address the issue.
A hume pipe has been drawn from the field of Shambhu Singh to the waste stabilisation pond, the report said. High density polyethylene (HDPE) liner has been laid in the stabilisation pond to prevent the leakage of treated sewage into underground water. The pond has been fenced with wires for the safety of animals and human beings.
Two oxidation ponds/settling chambers have been installed for preliminary treatment adopting bioremediation and phytoremediation. Remediation was being done at the time of inspection.
Samples collected and analysed in the laboratory were found within norms, except the total coliform and faecal coliform.
The Nagar Panchayat, Lar, has made an agreement with the Nagar Palika Parishad, Deoria, for the disposal of faecal sludge from the septic tanks of the residents. Faecal sludge will be disposed of at the faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) in Jatmalpur, Deoria.
The sample taken on June 30, 2025, showed that the norms have not been met so far as total coliform and faecal coliform is concerned. The samples were again collected by the UPPCB on August 23, 2025, wherein it was found that they had not met the norms so far as faecal coliform is concerned.
The NGT’s western bench on September 8, 2025 directed the MPCB to file its reply on the matter of violation of environmental norms by Mahanand Rajya Sahakari Dudh Mahasangh Maryadit, a dairy products unit located in Varvand village of Pune district.
The unit is using coal as fuel and groundwater is being illegally extracted in violation of consent to operate, according to the applicant.
Mahanand Rajya Sahakari Dudh Mahasangh Maryadit has failed to install adequate air pollution control systems and also failed to properly store and handle coal, which has resulted in repeated emissions of noxious gases, toxic coal dust, and black soot from the coal-powered 10 tonnes Per Hour (TPH) boiler stack and the coal storage yard constructed within the dairy products unit.
This is causing significant air pollution and is leading to adverse health impacts being felt by numerous local residents and school children, whose habitations and school are located within 100 metres from the boiler stack and coal storage yard.
Additionally, the project proponent has failed to properly operate its effluent treatment plant (ETP) and achieve the effluent standards mandated by the MPCB. Because of this, the effluent is being discharged into water-wells and in open areas, leading to water pollution and impacting local agriculture, as well as leading to generation of persistent foul odour.
The medical officer visited the site in question on May 7, 2025. The authority found smoke emitting out from the chimney of the dairy and soot spreading everywhere, leading to difficulty in breathing.
People living nearby have experienced body itching, burning eyes. The dairy boiler makes an ear-piercing sound, resulting in ear problems.
The application mentioned that not only the government medical officer but also the MPCB has observed the pollution being caused by the project proponent, pursuant to the site inspection of the dairy products unit on December 23, 2024. Brownish smoke was coming out from the stack and fugitive emissions were also observed.
The MPCB issued a show cause notice dated February 17, 2025, to the project proponent. Even after this, the project proponent continued to operate the dairy products unit in the same manner without implementing adequate air pollution control systems or transitioning to biomass briquettes.