CPCB report on air pollution due to cement loading/unloading at cement siding at Shakurbasti railway station, Delhi, 22/06/2020
Status report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in compliance to the National Green Tribunal order of January 10, 2020 in the matter of O.A. No. 533 (Anubhav Kumar Vs Union of India & Others) filed on June 22, 2020. The matter relates to air pollution due to the cement unloading/loading activities being conducted in an unscientific manner at the cement siding at Shakurbasti Railway Station in Delhi.
The CPCB report informed the Tribunal, that Northern Railway had not taken proper action in implementing the recommendations of the Expert Committee (constituted on the orders of the NGT) which included implementation of pollution control measures and health test of workers.
None of the cement companies (ACC Limited, Ambuja Cements, Wonder Cements, Mangalam Cements, Ultratech Cement) involved in the operations at Shakurbasti cement siding had not submitted the revised plan to educate and protect health of labour, which was incorporated in the Expert Committee report. Moreover, no records were shown for the labor involved in cement handling and health tests (x-ray) of these workers.
The Expert Committee discussed the issue of levying environmental and health compensation. It was suggested that interim environmental compensation could be levied for the period from May 27, 2019 (date of filing of application) to June 11, 2020 (date of compliance verification by CPCB). Interim EC for the said period was calculated as Rs 71,62,500/- and Rs. 28,65,000/- in case of Northern Railways and Central Railside Warehouse Company respectively. With respect to levying of health compensation, the Expert Committee had recommended that the matter be referred to Labor Department, Delhi government.