Haveli found violating pollution control norms

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 6

In a massive violation of environmental regulations, Haveli Resorts and Restaurant has been found to have laid an illegal private underground pipeline to dump its sewage wastes.

A team of officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, headed by Sandeep Bahl, senior environmental engineer, Jalandhar, along with Ashok Garg, environmental engineer, Regional Office, Jalandhar, conducted a surprise inspection at the Haveli Resort and Restaurant to check environmental compliance.

They found that the sewage treatment plant installed for the treatment of effluents generated from M/s Haveli Restaurant, The Haveli Heritage and The Haveli Heritage Empress was not fully functional.

The plantation area where the treated effluents were supposed to be discharged was completely dry.

On the seizure of records regarding the huge consumption and discharge of water, the team got suspicious regarding some other mode of disposal.

The stretch along the railway line till Khajurla village was scanned by the team.

During inspection, people of nearby village Khajurla complained of foul smell due to the discharge of effluents of Haveli into an open nullah leading to the village pond.

Further investigations revealed that the Haveli resorts/ Restaurant had privately laid an underground pipeline passing through the village illegally for the discharge of its untreated sewage water to the sewer line of the village leading to the village pond.

A cylindrical underground pit was found, which was full of untreated water and the same was being bypassed.

Effluent samples from this pit were collected by the team and sent to laboratories for analysis.

The resort could not show its system/arrangement for disposal of municipal solid waste, which is also being disposed of to some undisclosed location.

Action under the provisions of Section 33-A of the Water Act, 1974 & Environment Protection Act, 1986, is being initiated in the matter.