NGT orders MCD to pay Rs 20 lakh compensation to blind School

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to pay Rs 20 lakh to the Akhil Bhartiya Netrahin Sangh School in Raghubir Nagar, West Delhi, within a month. The compensation will improve the environmental and health facilities for the visually impaired students suffering due to pollution and environmental hazards.

The NGT’s ruling follows suo motu cognizance of a Millennium Post report on April 30, 2024, highlighting the impact of overflowing garbage and open sewage pits near the Akhil Bhartiya Netrahin Sangh School, which has provided free education and accommodation to visually impaired children since 1971. The school’s dining hall and living spaces are affected by MCD garbage and sewage, posing serious health risks to the students.

Many visually impaired children face challenges due to swarms of insects and mosquitoes around the school. The hazardous conditions prevent them from walking safely outside, with several students falling into open sewage holes and getting injured. Parents are concerned about the growing health risks.

The court invoked the "polluter pays" principle and Section 15 of the NGT Act, 2010, to award compensation to the school for the environmental harm caused by illegal solid waste dumping and nearby open sewage pits.

Besides the compensation, the NGT directed the MCD to immediately close Dhalao D-5, a major waste disposal point near the school, and ensure no open sewage or potholes remain nearby. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) must act promptly if violations continue and impose environmental compensation.

The NGT directed the MCD and DPCC to submit a report within three months on the steps taken to address the waste and sewage management issues around the school.

The Akhil Bhartiya Netrahin Sangh School in Raghubir Nagar, West Delhi, educates and houses over a hundred visually impaired children annually. The school has faced difficulties due to the MCD’s waste dumping site and multiple open sewage holes. The ongoing pollution has severely impacted the health and well-being of the students, leading to this significant legal intervention.

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