Erring thermal plants to pay

THE NATIONAL Green Tribunal has ordered thermal power plants that have failed to completely dispose or utilise their fly ash by the end of 2017 to submit fines to the Central Pollution Control Board within a month. Plants with a capacity of up to 500 MW will have to pay `1 crore as fine and those with capacity beyond 1,000 MW will have to pay `5 crore.The tribunal added that plants that will default the deadline will have to pay an additional interest of 12 per cent per annum for the delayed period.The collected amount will be utilised for“restoration and restitution of the environment”. Fly ash can be used as prime material in many cement-based products, such as poured concrete.