NGT slaps Rs 15L fine on pharma unit for pollution

The National Green Tribunal on Friday slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh on a pharmaceutical unit in Uttar Pradesh for discharging untreated effluents in the open.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed the fine on Gajraula-based Teva API India Limited after an inspection team found that the discharge from the sewage treatment plant (STP) was not of permissible standards.

The tribunal also directed the pharma unit to comply with all the recommendations made by the joint inspection committee and submit a compliance report to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. The green panel asked the company to deposit the amount with the Board and allowed it to resume its operations.

"The joint inspection team constituted by the tribunal had inspected this industry and found that the discharge from STP was beyond permissible limits," the bench noted.