Chandigarh: Haryana’s environmental enforcement record shows a wide gap between compensation imposed on polluters and money actually recovered. HSPCB imposed about Rs 499 crore in environmental compensation on 462 industrial units between Apr 2019 and Mar 2025, but recovered only around Rs 132 crore, leaving Rs 367 crore pending.The figures were reported to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), as Haryana increasingly uses the “polluter pays” principle against industries as well as government agencies responsible for environmental violations.Municipal bodies have also faced substantial compensation for lapses in solid-waste management. At Bandhwari landfill, HSPCB imposed compensation of Rs 10 lakh per month on Municipal Corporation Gurugram for non-compliance with solid-waste rules. An Aug 2025 report put the levy at Rs 6.2 crore for Apr 2020-May 2025, of which Rs 2.8 crore had been deposited. Prosecution cases were also filed against MCG under the Air Act, Water Act and Environment Protection Act.HSPCB imposed Rs 2.2 crore on Municipal Corporation Faridabad in July 2024 for violations related to municipal and plastic-waste management. In Yamuna Nagar-Jagadhri, a joint committee recommended Rs 9.1 crore against the municipal corporation for past solid-waste violations. Compensation of Rs 1.1 crore was recommended against Dharuhera municipal committee, along with prosecution against its secretary. In Panipat, an Environment Compensation Assessment Committee decided Rs 11.2 lakh against the municipal corporation, though the final order was awaited.Real-estate developers have also faced multi-crore liabilities. In a Sonipat/Kundli matter, the NGT ordered a combined Rs 81.66 crore against five projects, including TDI Infrastructure, Parker Estate Development, CMD Built-Tech/Pardesi Developers and Narang Constructions. The money was to be used for environmental restoration.HSPCB’s prosecution pipeline remains extensive. A Feb 2025 review recorded 721 prosecution cases transferred from Special Environment Courts to district courts, including 141 filed before 2018 and 580 after 2018. HSPCB has acknowledged that the transfer has slowed proceedings.The enforcement gap, however, remains stark: only about 26% of the Rs 499 crore imposed on industrial units had been recovered by Mar 2025.A govt official said imposition and recovery of environmental compensation was a continuous process. “There could be procedural delays, but recoveries are imminent in addition to prosecution.”
