CPCB’s ₹45 Crore Green Fund: Why Is 99% Just Sitting Idle?
Okay, this is wild. You know all those fines slapped on polluters? Turns out, almost none of that money’s actually being used. An RTI reply just revealed the CPCB has spent less than 1% of the ₹45 crore collected since 2018. Let that sink in—we’re talking about funds meant to clean our rivers and air, just gathering dust. What a mess, right?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
- Total collected since 2018: ₹45 crore (that’s 450 million rupees!)
- Amount spent: Barely ₹45 lakh—like buying a luxury car when you could build a hospital
- Timeframe: Five whole years of sitting on this cash
- Source: Straight from the CPCB’s own records
Why We Even Have These Fines
Let me break it down. These penalties serve three main purposes:
- Slapping sense into polluters—factories spewing toxic smoke or dumping waste illegally
- Funding clean-ups—you know, like actually fixing what’s been destroyed
- Scaring others straight—make breaking rules so expensive they won’t dare
But here’s the kicker: if the money’s not being used, it’s just empty threats. Classic Indian bureaucracy at play.
Where This Money Should Be Going
Officially, CPCB guidelines say these funds should cover:
- Massive clean-up projects (remember the whole Ganga mission?)
- Tech to fight pollution—like those smog towers Delhi keeps talking about
- Teaching people why dumping plastic in lakes is stupid
Just imagine—with ₹45 crore, we could’ve made actual progress. Instead? Paperwork limbo.
Why Nothing’s Happening
Typical Indian government story:
- Red tape: Sixteen signatures needed to buy a damn broom
- Zero planning: Like saving for a rainy day but forgetting where you put the umbrella
- Total darkness: No one knows where, how, or if this money gets touched
One RTI activist put it perfectly: “It’s like watching someone drown while the life jacket stays locked in the office.”
What This Costs Us
Real talk—this isn’t just about numbers:
- Our rivers keep getting dirtier while funds for cleaning them… exist somewhere?
- Public faith takes a hit—people start thinking these fines are just another tax
How To Fix This Mess
For CPCB:
- Cut the damn red tape—approvals shouldn’t take longer than a Bollywood wedding
- Show us the money—live updates on spending, like your UPI transactions
For us regular folks:
- Keep filing RTIs—sunlight’s the best disinfectant
- Bug your local MLA until they can’t ignore it anymore
Bottom Line
Here’s the thing—we’re literally paying for environmental damage twice. First through pollution’s health impacts, then by letting the fines meant to fix it go unused. With climate change breathing down our necks, this isn’t just negligence—it’s criminal. The CPCB needs to wake up before another five years pass with crores rotting in some account.
What do you think? Should unspent fines get automatically diverted to green projects? Sound off in the comments.
Source: Livemint – Companies