Rohtak, May 26 -- The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday expressed concerns over the Haryana government's alleged failure to recover substantial amounts of environmental compensation from polluters.

It directed the state to file a specific response on why it should not be made to pay the unrealised sums from its own coffers.

During a resumed hearing in the case, the bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi (judicial member) and Dr A Senthil Vel (expert member) observed that recovery of "huge amount ( Rs.39.39 crore) of environmental compensation is pending evidently due to inaction on the part of the instrumentalities the state government".

The tribunal explicitly directed the state government and the Harya...