Any person or firm found throwing debris into river Yamuna will be slapped with a fine Rs 5 lakh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) declared on Monday.

A bench led by NGT Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar expressed worry over the persistent problem of throwing debris into Yamuna, which is causing obstruction and pollution obstruction of water.

Invoking the principle of "polluter pays," the bench ruled, "Since there is persistent problem of dumping in river Yamuna. we direct that any person dumping rubble in Yamuna or its banks shall be liable to pay a sum of Rs five lakh."

The persons who would be fined for dumping debris would include the person or authority that generated the rubbish, the owner of the truck that would be used to convey the rubbish and any service provider involved in the process.

The Government of Delhi was directed by the Tribunal to deploy special police force at the Geeta Colony site near Yamuna bank area to make sure that no more debris was dumped there.

The bench also directed the concerned authorities, including Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and East Municipal Corporation, to remove all the debris already thrown into the river, mainly at Geeta Colony site, by 15th of August. It also asked the authorities to submit a compliance report before next, which is scheduled for August 27.