Summary:
Threatening de-recognition, the Directorate of Education (DoE) has directed hundreds of Delhi’s private schools to pay Rs 5 lakh of ‘environment compensation’ for failing to install rainwater harvesting systems. The tribunal had directed the DoE to collect Rs 5 lakh each as environmental compensation from the schools within two weeks. The fine was originally imposed as per an NGT order dated November 16, 2017, which said any institution failing to install rainwater harvesting systems within two months would be liable to pay environment compensation of Rs 5 lakh. AdvertisingThis is pursuant to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order in February this year regarding 605 private schools which had not installed rainwater harvesting systems at the time or which were yet to be made functional. Observing that most schools had not complied, the DoE once again directed them to deposit the amount, threatening that “withdrawal of recognition of schools concerned shall be taken without any further opportunity.”The DoE has identified 274 schools where the construction and installation of rainwater harvesting systems are under progress and 331 where the construction process is yet to begin..