Okhla residents await Green Tribunal Order in Jindal's Chinese technology based power plant case

Almost all orders of the the cases heard on March 11, 2013 has been uploaded but the one regarding the Okhla plant remains to be uploaded. 

The bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, the Chairperson had expressed surprise over the absence, the tribunal has sent notices to the counsel to appear before it to reply on the allegations. "Surprising, nobody is present on behalf of the NCT (national capital territory) of Delhi and others."  On March 11 too some of the key respondents did not appear before the Tribunal. Residents informed that bailable warrant  has been issued against  the absentees including Municipal Corporation of Delhi.  

National Green Tribunal heard the case regarding Jindal's waste incinerator based power plant case which was filed by Sukhdev Vihar residents in the Delhi high court in 2009 had filed a case against the Okhla waste-to-energy plant on March 11 after it was transferred on on January 23, 2013 and admitted by it on February 22, 2013.

The plant is being operated by Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Co Pvt Ltd of Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited, a company of Jindal Saw Group Limited. The plant became operational in 2012 but it is using untested and unapproved Chinese incinerator technology.

It is a test case for Tribunal as far as the grievances of the Okhla residents is concerned. The precedent it sets will have far reaching implications. It reveal its limitations in dealing with a plant which is running after violating every rule in the rule book and is a cause of point source of pollution.