In Brief
This batch of consolidated appeals challenged NGT orders that found thermal power plants had failed to comply with notifications requiring 100% fly ash utilization by 31 December 2017, and imposed environmental compensation accordingly. The Supreme Court set aside the NGT orders in light of the new notification dated 31 December 2021, which prescribes progressive utilization targets for legacy ash over ten years and fundamentally alters the regulatory framework. The Court directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to ensure enforcement of environmentally sound practices for ash handling within three months and to review whether further modifications to the notification are necessary to comply with hazardous waste management rules."
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