The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday raised concerns over inconsistencies in a report submitted by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) regarding the recovery of environmental compensation (EC) from polluting ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants. The tribunal questioned the state government about delays in recovering substantial amounts from violators and issued a significant directive, asking the Haryana government to explain why it should not be ordered to deposit the unrealized EC amount, particularly in cases where recovery proceedings have been pending for more than six months. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on July 29.
Discrepancies in Reports
Hearing a case related to pollution violations by RMC plants, the principal bench observed that the HSPCB's latest report dated May 23 contained discrepancies when compared with an earlier report filed on March 29. The tribunal expressed concern over the non-recovery of a huge amount of EC and indicated that the delay appeared to stem from inaction by state authorities. The bench, comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr. A. Senthil Vel, noted that the report suffered from discrepancies disclosed on comparative reading with the previous submission. It sought a fresh report with correct facts and figures, including the exact amount of environmental compensation imposed, recovered, and pending recovery.
Current Recovery Figures
The latest figures submitted before the tribunal showed that Haryana has imposed Rs 40.6 crore as EC on RMC plants but recovered only Rs 1.2 crore, leaving Rs 39.3 crore pending. Gurgaon North accounted for the highest pending amount, with Rs 27.5 crore imposed and only Rs 45 lakh recovered, leaving Rs 24.8 crore yet to be realized. Gurgaon South had Rs 1.30 crore imposed, none of which has been recovered. Faridabad had pending dues of over Rs 56.8 lakh, while Panipat had Rs 69.4 lakh pending. Ballabhgarh emerged as one of the few regions with partial recovery, where Rs 4.1 lakh was imposed and Rs 3.4 lakh recovered.
Utilization of EC Funds
The HSPCB informed the tribunal that the utilization of the EC funds was still under consideration in a separate matter related to mitigation of air pollution in Haryana. The order comes months after a wider compliance review by the tribunal into the functioning of RMC plants across Haryana. In an earlier investigation by The Times of India, official records submitted before the NGT showed that Haryana imposed nearly Rs 170 crore in penalties on polluting RMC plants between April 2025 and March 2026 but managed to recover barely Rs 21 lakh, exposing a massive gap between enforcement action and actual recovery.
Hotspots of Non-Compliance
That report identified Gurgaon and Jhajjar (Bahadurgarh) as the biggest hotspots of non-compliance. Gurgaon alone accounted for around Rs 90 crore in penalties imposed on eight to 10 RMC plants, many accused of operating without mandatory consent to operate (CTO), while Bahadurgarh had around Rs 80 crore imposed on nearly 30 units. Despite sealing, dismantling drives, and closure orders, recovery remained negligible in both districts.
Environmentalists' Concerns
Environmentalists earlier warned that weak recovery diluted deterrence and allowed violators to treat penalties as procedural rather than punitive. The NGT's latest observations now raise fresh questions over the effectiveness of enforcement and recovery mechanisms against polluting construction-linked industries in Haryana. During Monday's hearing, counsel for two respondents also submitted that orders imposing EC on them suffered from patent mistakes or illegalities and sought time to move interlocutory applications challenging the penalties.
