The Supreme Court has rejected a request by power producers to extend the deadline to install equipment to cut emissions by two years to 2024.
In a clear verdict for the environment, the country's apex court has asked power producers to install equipment to control sulphur dioxide emissions by the deadline set earlier
The Supreme Court has rejected a request by power producers to extend the deadline to install equipment to cut emissions by two years to 2024.
India has a phased plan for plants to comply with emissions standards, which involves installing Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units that cut emissions of sulphur dioxide, which is known to cause lung diseases. The story was reported by Reuters.
More than half of India's coal-fired power plants ordered to retrofit equipment to curb sulphur oxide emissions are set to miss deadlines, which go up to the end of 2022. Power plant operators have blamed costs and technical difficulties for missing an earlier deadline at the end of 2017 and then again at the end of 2019.
The Association of Power Producers (APP) - a lobby group for thermal plants that filed the petition in court seeking a two-year extension - said the court declined to grant any blanket extension.
Power plants in and around the capital, New Delhi, have already missed the deadline for installing emission control systems.
Last month, India removed a provision requiring the washing of coal, saying the process caused more pollution. State-run NTPC Ltd has been pushing to make a rule that requires trucks and wagons transporting coal to be covered with tarpaulin sheets non-mandatory.