NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh pollution control board (UPPCB) has failed to recover 97 per cent (%) of the total penalty imposed on pollution rules’ violators in the last nine years, a reply to the right to information (RTI) Act application has revealed.
The UPPCB imposed ₹28 crore worth penalty against the offenders in the last nine years but it could recover approximately only 3% (almost 1 crore rupees) of it from the ones who were found violating the Grap provisions, the reply to the RTI application showed.
Residents alleged the UPPCB imposes fine for violation of Grap rules, but forgets to recover the same.
As per the rules, the government bodies have a mandate to claim and use the penalty fund for the measures can be taken to mitigate air pollution or environmental protection, said UPPCB officials.
“In 2025 till date, the UPPCB managed to recover ₹60 lakh and before that it could hardly recover the penalty money in the last nine years. Most of the total ₹1 crore collected amount, has been recovered only in 2025,” said Amit Gupta, a Sector 77 resident who filed the RTI application about where this fund has been used to mitigate air pollution in the city.
As per the RTI reply, the Noida Pollution Control Board (NPCB) imposed penalty worth ₹6 crores in 2025, but recovered barely around 10% of it.
“In response to my RTI (regarding usage of funds), the NPCB has provided the information including that ₹60,443,500 (6 crores) penalty/EC has been imposed in 2025 till date for violations of dust and construction norms. However, the recovery was only ₹6,447,500 ( ₹64.47 lakh) which is around 10%. This penalty was imposed in 120 cases,” said Gupta.
The highest penalty was imposed in May 2025 worth ₹1.86 cr on 15 cases. In October, 2025, ₹73 lakh penalty was imposed on 21 cases. In November, till Wednesday, ₹29.70 lakh penalty was imposed in 25 cases, said the reply from the UPPCB, adding that no fine has been recovered in September, October and November.
As per the rules the amount of penalty imposed is deposited in the treasury of the national green tribunal (NGT). Later, the state government bodies can claim this fund provided they submit the detailed project report about a measure that can help in mitigation of air pollution or protection of environment, said officials.
“We observe that the state government bodies including UPPCB hardly take interest in recovery and claiming this fund for air pollution mitigation. Instead, the pollution watchdog must use this fund as much as they can for betterment of the ecology and air pollution mitigation,” said Gaurav Bansal, expert and environmental advocate in NGT.
UPPCB regional manager (Noida) Niteesh Tiwari said that they often fail to recover the total amount of penalty imposed due to the litigation.
“We try to recover the penalty amount as much as we can. But what happens if the offender has challenged the penalty in any court, then it takes longer time in resolving the dispute. And we keep waiting for the court to settle the cases. And there are cases where the matter even reaches till high court or the NGT apart from district court, dragging the matter. And we try to claim to get fund to use for mitigation of pollution. But that is decided first by the state government as to which authority in the state must get this,” said Tiwari.