Chandigarh: In a startling revelation of administrative lapse, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) imposed an environmental compensation (EC) of ₹7.2 crore on the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) for failing to maintain environmental standards between April 2021 and April 2023.Shockingly, the civic body is yet to deposit the penalty.The data, procured under the RTI Act 2005 by Sangrur-based advocate Kamal Anand, highlights a systemic failure of the municipal body to discharge its statutory duties under environmental laws.In its RTI reply, the CPCC said, “An environmental compensation of Rs 7.2 crore was imposed on Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh from April 2021 to April 2023 and same is not recovered till date.”Environmental compensation is a monetary penalty imposed on individuals, industries, or authorities responsible for damaging the environment, based on the “Polluter Pays Principle”. It serves as a restorative, punitive, and deterrent tool to ensure that compensation for ecological harm is collected, managed, and used to repair environmental damage.Anand said, “The environmental compensation is imposed on the civic body but it should be imposed on officials in person. So that they are serious in not only improving the working of the civic body but also paying up the penalty. The civic bodies generally don’t pay the environmental compensation and also do not improve on their environment-impacting practices. Another important question is what happens to the environmental compensation deposited with the pollution control authority.“Fines on industries, plastic ban violationBeyond the massive fine on the Chandigarh MC, the CPCC has cracked down on other violators under the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle between 2017 and 2026.On industry, it imposed penalties amounting to Rs 63.46 lakh on various units for causing pollution.For violating the plastic ban and causing plastic pollution, the CPCC has imposed over Rs 1.80 crore in penalties.The CPCC reported earning Rs 2.95 lakh in interest on fixed deposits of Rs 52.86 lakh collected as environmental compensationBOX: Environment compensation on industries and plastic challanPeriod | EC collected (plastic) | EC collected (industries)2017-18 | Rs 7L | Nil2018-19 | Rs 18.7L | Nil2019-20 | Rs 33.4L | Rs 10.4L2020-21 | Rs 15.5L | Rs 8L2021-22 | Rs 17.6L | Rs 1.7L2022-23 | Rs 49.6L | Rs 17.9L2023-24 | Rs 19.3L | Rs 15L2024-25 | Rs 9L | Rs 15L2025-26 | Rs 9.8L | Rs 2.2L
