New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Special Zonal Inspection Teams have been constituted for inspection and taking action against industrial units running in residential areas, South Delhi Municipal Corporation told the National Green Tribunal Wednesday.

These constituted teams comprising of Zonal Licensing Officials, Engineers, Factory Inspectors, BSES officials, DJB officials and Police Officials (For sensitive areas), inspected the industrial units falling under Step-I, II & III , the corporation told the NGT.

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"It is submitted that 91 units, under Step-1, were reported to be working and as such a re-survey was conducted in July 2019 and 47 units which were found to be running in violation were sealed. Again a survey in most of the units was carried out by the Constituted Joint Teams w.e.f. July to October 2020 wherein no illegal activity was found," the SDMC told the NGT.

The civic body told the tribunal that 936 units fall within the jurisdiction of Re-development Industrial Area and vest with Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd and are governed by Delhi Industrial Development Operation & Maintenance Act, 2010.

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"As per the stand taken by DSIIDC, Delhi Government, the Supreme Court which is seized of the matter related to Re-development Industrial areas, that these units are not required to be sealed. In view of this, no action at present is required to be undertaken in respect of Step-1 & II units by answering Respondent," the SDMC said.

The NGT had earlier directed the Delhi government to immediately shut down 4,774 industrial units running in residential areas.

It had appointed a committee headed by a former Delhi High Court judge to deal with nearly 52,000 industrial units which are operating illegally in residential areas of the national capital.

The NGT has asked the committee to assume charge and said the accountability for making the panel functional will rest on the Delhi Chief Secretary and DPCC Chairman.

The panel may inspect the hot spots and other sites for which Delhi Police will provide required security, it had said.

The tribunal had earlier taken note of a news report published in an English daily alleging that thousands of polluting industries are being brazenly run in the city right under the nose of authorities.

The report had said that Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) recently listed 51,837 units operating from non-conforming/ residential areas and asked the three municipal corporations to initiate action against them.

According to the news item, the industries were leading to water and air pollution in the areas as they do not have license to operate.

"The analysis of the data released by DSIIDC shows most violations in Moti Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Najafgarh and Mansarovar Garden, all in west Delhi; Ashram, Bhogal, Jangpura, Maharani Bagh and Mahipalpur in south Delhi; Gandhi Nagar, Jheel, Shastri Nagar, Kailash Nagar, Jafrabad and Shahdara in east Delhi; and Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Malkaganj, Ballimaran, Lal Kuan and Kashmere Gate in north Delhi.

"Other highly affected areas are Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Anand Parbat, Rohtak Road, Rajinder Nagar, Old Rajinder Nagar in central Delhi; Shahdara, GT Road, Babarpur and Vishwas Nagar in northeast Delhi; and Burari and Jagatpuri in northwest Delhi," the report said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)