The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has initiated action to recover ₹1.06 crore in environmental compensation from the Sirhind Municipal Council over continued “violations” of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, including alleged dumping of municipal waste along the Hansla river, also known as Hansa river.
The development has been reported to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in an additional affidavit filed in the original application number 16 of 2025, concerning the dumping of solid waste along the natural flood drain. The NGT had earlier taken serious note of the continued dumping and directed the authorities to take effective action.
According to the PPCB affidavit, the board filed a complaint against the municipal council and its executive officer before the adjudicating officer-cum-secretary, department of science, technology and environment, under Section 15(C) of the Environment (Protection) Amendment Act, 2024.
The Fatehgarh Sahib collector subsequently issued an order for recovery of ₹1.23 crore imposed as environmental compensation for violations committed between July 1, 2020, and September 30, 2025. The amount is to be recovered as arrears of land revenue.
The board’s records also show that the compensation imposed on the civic body had reached ₹1.08 crore for the period from July 2020 to December 2024, of which only ₹18 lakh had been deposited. The compensation was imposed in several instalments for violations of the Solid Waste Management Rules.
During a personal hearing on April 15, 2026, the council’s executive officer said the civic body was taking steps to comply with the waste-management rules but lacked funds to pay the compensation. The PPCB subsequently decided to seek recovery of the amount through the office of the deputy commissioner.
The latest affidavit states that the total environmental compensation has since risen to ₹1.29 crore. The council had deposited ₹18 lakh initially and another ₹5 lakh on April 17, 2026, leaving ₹1.06 crore outstanding, according to the PPCB.
The NGT, in its January 27, 2026 order, had observed that merely imposing environmental compensation on paper would serve little purpose if effective steps were not taken to stop unauthorised dumping. The tribunal also noted that waste was allegedly being dumped at another unauthorised site while the original case was pending.
