February 17, 2026 : The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to prepare a concrete action plan for rejuvenating water bodies in the national capital, using environmental compensation collected in a case involving illegal groundwater extraction in northeast Delhi.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr. Afroz Ahmad on February 16, 2026, while dealing with a miscellaneous application arising out of an earlier case filed by Mohd Danish.
The matter began with a letter petition received by the Tribunal in October 2023, in which the applicant alleged illegal extraction of groundwater for construction at property D-23, Gali No. 16, Chauhan Banger, Brahampuri, Delhi. The Tribunal had earlier disposed of the original application in July 2024, directing a joint committee to inspect the site and take action if violations were found.
Following the Tribunal’s directions, officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the SDM office in Seelampur conducted a joint inspection on September 6, 2024. During the inspection, a borewell was found at the subdivided property, allegedly installed seven to eight years ago. The owner failed to produce any permission from the competent authority for groundwater extraction.
Although the borewell was not sealed immediately, the SDM, Seelampur subsequently sealed it on September 9, 2024, for illegal groundwater extraction without authorization. A corrigendum to the sealing memo was later issued to correct a clerical error.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee then issued a show cause notice in March 2025 proposing environmental damage compensation of Rs. 35,064. After considering the owner’s reply seeking waiver, the authority confirmed the compensation order in May 2025. When the amount was not paid, reminder notices were sent, followed by a recovery letter to the SDM in October 2025 to recover the dues as arrears of land revenue.
The compensation amount was eventually deposited through a demand draft on November 10, 2025.
Taking note of these developments, the Tribunal directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to prepare an action plan in consultation with the District Wetland Committee or the State Wetland Authority for rejuvenation of water bodies across the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The compensation amount recovered in the present case is to be used for implementing this plan within six months. A compliance report is to be filed before the Registrar General of the Tribunal within a month thereafter. With these directions, the miscellaneous application has been disposed of.
Case Reference : Miscellaneous Application in Disposed of Cases No. 11 of 2026 in Original Application No. 589 of 2024, Mohd. Danish v. Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors.
