NOIDA : Authorities in Gautam Budh Nagar claim to have nearly Rs 7 crore — collected as “green fund” to combat air pollution — lying largely unused due to lack of directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), even as the NCR continues to battle a toxic haze. On Tuesday, the AQI was recorded at 426 in Noida and 411 in Greater Noida , both considered ‘severe’.Officials said Noida Authority, GNIDA and YEIDA collected Rs 2.20 crore, Rs 2.60 crore and Rs 1.22 crore, respectively, as fines from developers and individuals for green norm violations in the past two years. The district pollution control department has also recovered Rs 80 lakh as fines from violators during this period. However, not a single agency has been able to use the money till now.A senior Noida Authority official told TOI on Tuesday they collected fines to the tune of Rs 2.20 crore in the past two years and written to NGT for directions on use of the “green fund”. But the Authority is still waiting for a response from the green tribunal. “Teams have been formed to conduct enforcement drives as per Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) guidelines in all 10 work circles. The Authority has also ensured a ban on construction as per EPCA guidelines, ban on hot-mix plants, and water sprinkling on construction sites. We are also conducting mechanical sweeping of roads . We have also planned a massive drive to plant 1.7 lakh saplings across the city on November 17,” said Rajveev Tyagi, Authority general manager. KK Gupta, additional CEO of Greater Noida Authority, said they have also collected Rs 2.60 crore as fines from violators of green norms. “The money can be used for green projects. We will take a call on how to use them,” he said.Yamuna Authority is also not clear on how to use the green fund. “In the past two years, YEIDA has recovered Rs 1.22 crore as fines. But the money has not been used for development work,” said Devendra Balyan, general manager (projects).Experts say air pollution has triggered a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR and it’s high time that authorities used the “green fund” worth over Rs 7 crore. “The local administration can set up pollution monitoring systems. They can also use the funds to augment public transport. The funds can also be used on eco-friendly transport systems like e-rickshaws,” said Vivek Chattopadhyaya, programme manager (air pollution control) at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

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