Ludhiana Municipal Corporation fined Rs 1.54 crore; PPCB to file reply in NGT

January 16, 2026

A case is ongoing in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding improper waste management in Ludhiana, Punjab. During the hearing, the NGT summoned a report from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). Just before the PPCB officials filed their response, they imposed a fine of ₹1.54 crore on the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MCL).

The PPCB levied this fine on the municipal corporation for negligence in waste management over the past two years. This amount will be recovered from the corporation to compensate for the environmental damage caused by its negligence. However, the petitioners, engineers Kapil Arora and Kuldeep Khaira, are not satisfied with the amount of the fine.

Petition filed in 2023, fine imposed now

Engineers Kapil Arora and Kuldeep Singh Khaira, members of the Public Action Committee, had filed a petition in the NGT regarding the lack of proper waste management and the burning of waste in the city. The petitioners were not satisfied with the report submitted by the Deputy Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner, which the NGT had requested. Following this, the NGT appointed a Court Commissioner to investigate and submit a report.

After receiving the Court Commissioner’s report, the NGT asked the PPCB officials for an action taken report, prompting the officials to hastily impose the fine on the municipal corporation. Kapil Arora stated that the PPCB imposed the fine from the date the Court Commissioner visited Ludhiana, whereas the fine should have been imposed from the date the complaint was filed.