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In New Delhi, the thick cloud of pollution is considered very dangerous. REUTERS / Cathal McNaughton
In India, the special environmental court on Monday (December 3rd) issued a fine of more than three million euros against the Delhi regional government. Judges considered that officials had not acted effectively enough to reduce air pollution. It reaches very dangerous peaks throughout the winter, making the Indian capital one of the most polluted cities in the world.
With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sébastien Farcis
The complaint was filed by residents of an extremely polluted neighborhood in the western suburbs of New Delhi. They protested against the incineration of plastic, tires or leather by industries in this area.
These factories would operate more illegally on these lands considered agricultural. But nothing has been done for more than four years to put an end to these flagrant violations of the rules, which has motivated this exemplary fine of the Indian environmental court.
In addition to the three million euros fine, the judges demanded the payment of a deposit of another three million that will be returned once the authorities have put an end to this pollution.
Magistrates urged the Delhi government to raise the money from pollution industries and pollution control officers who did not act to stop it. In this industrial area concerned, the concentration of fine particles exceeds 400 on Tuesday, 16 times the levels recommended by WHO.