As much as 80 per cent of the of the environment protection charge (EPC) and environmental compensation (EC) collected by the Central Pollution Control Board remains unspent, a report the board submitted before the National Green Tribunal shows.

Put together, there are Rs 777.69 crore funds collected by way of the EPC and EC, and the CPCB has only utilised 20% or Rs 156.33 of those funds.

CPCB’s report was filed in compliance with an order that the Tribunal passed in December, 2023.  CPCB is the statutory pollution control watchdog under the union environment ministry.