NGT slaps Rs 70,000 fine on 7 officials over delayed replies

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a total fine of Rs 70,000 on seven govt officials for failing to comply with repeated directions to file replies in a case related to alleged environmental violations by a stone crusher unit in Jajpur district’s Dharmasala tehsil.

The fine was imposed on the chief secretary, additional chief secretaries of the revenue and disaster management and forest and environment departments, Jajpur SP, Dharmasala tehsildar, deputy director of mines, Jajpur, and the deputy director general of forests, MoEFCC’s regional office in Bhubaneswar.

Groundwater contamination: Pollution control board to shut 46 illegal jeans factories in Noida & Greater Noida

Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board has issued show-cause notices after inspections found that 37 units operating in Noida and nine in Greater Noida were operating without the required clearances and pollution-control measures to prevent contamination of groundwater and land, reported TOI. The notices have been issued under relevant provisions of the Air and Water Pollution Acts for operating highly polluting industrial units in residential areas.

Haryana recovers just ₹1.2 cr of ₹40.6 cr pollution penalties, NGT told

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board identified 370 ready mix cement ( RMC) plants in Haryana, including 186 operating without valid consent. Closure action was initiated against 190 plants; 29 were dismantled, and EC was imposed on 108. Gurugram located in National Capital Region (NCR)  accounts for ₹37.8 crore of the pending compensation as Haryana considers amending its revenue law to enable recoveries, HT reported.

HSPCB’s submissions to the NGT in May showed that only ₹1.2 crore of the ₹40.6 crore in EC imposed on RMC plants across Haryana over the preceding year had been recovered. 

Silica dust emissions from Jhabua factory

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered authorities to conduct inspection on complaints of silica dust emissions from a factory operating in the Meghnagar Industrial Area, Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, .

The NGT directed the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the District Jhabua Collector Office and the Mining Department take necessary remedial actions.

The letter petition by Rashtriya Adiwasi Kranti Sena, dated June 29, 2026, stated that a quartz (silica) grinding factory operating under the name Samruddha Mines and Minerals is located in the Meghnagar Industrial Area. The factory is emitting large quantities of silica dust into the surrounding environment. Continuous exposure to this silica dust causes silicosis, an incurable occupational disease, which has affected many workers and caused several deaths.

Bristol bans ads of fast fashion, SUVs and other polluting industries

Bristol has become the first British city to ban the advertising of fast fashion, in new norms that will also curb ads for SUVs and airlines, reported the Guardian. 

The ban is part of moves by the West Country city, known for its radical political scene, to impose sweeping bans on advertising for polluting industries, the outlet said adding that the curbs have also been placed on advertising SUVs, airlines, cruises and fossil fuels on advertising sites owned by the Green-run council.

“We don’t want Bristol to be a billboard for polluters while we’re working hard to improve health, air quality and nature in the city,” said Heather Mack, Bristol city council’s deputy leader.

US: Trump EPA to rescind carbon standards that stop pollution from coal, gas power plants

The Guardian reported that the EPA will strip itself of its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act, a move estimated to result in 123m tonnes of additional CO2 emissions in the next decade. The Washington Post highlighted that power plants are the second-largest source of CO2 emissions in the US, after transport.

Reuters reported that the announcement was made on the sidelines of the G20 energy ministers gathering in Houston this week, where it says global officials are set to discuss “energy security, expanding baseload power and ‘regulatory efficiency”. Politico adds that the move to rescind the EPA’s regulation of power-plant emissions could “further complicate another wing of its strategy to quash US greenhouse gas policies – its Supreme Court bid to derail lawsuits seeking to make oil producers pay for climate change”

The New York Times said the move would “complete the administration’s erasure of the most consequential climate policies” of presidents Obama and Biden: “If the move survives expected legal challenges, it could also prevent future administrations from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants,”  NYT added. 

Meanwhile, on Friday, a federal appeals court “threw out an order” from Trump's administration that had forced ‌a Michigan coal plant to remain open beyond its planned retirement, reported Reuters. The court “found the Department of Energy exceeded its authority under a rarely used emergency provision of federal ​law.” The ruling is a “setback for the administration's ⁠efforts to preserve coal-fired generation at a time when US demand for electricity has soared due largely to the ​expansion of data centre”, the outlet said. 

‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn

Pfas companies are launching a “tidal wave” of forever chemicals production to meet demand from the AI industry, a campaign organisation has warned, reported the Guardian.

Despite alarm over the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, a survey of the 10 biggest manufacturers found most had plans to increase production.

Many frame their investments around the “AI revolution”, because of the role Pfas play in semiconductor production and next-generation datacentre cooling systems.

But opponents warn that the chemicals, which never degrade in nature, are a ticking timebomb for human and planetary health. They say increased production risks undermining nascent moves to restrict Pfas in Europe, the UK and parts of the US.

“These companies’ expansion plans show that unless governments and regulators insist on a rapid phaseout, we will face a new tidal wave of forever chemicals,” said Anne-Sofie Bäckar, the executive director of ChemSec, the Swedish chemicals watchdog that carried out the research.

ChemSec’s survey found nearly all of the 10 biggest manufacturers of Pfas had plans to increase production, at sites in Europe, Asia and North America.