Waste disposed of in Rohtak pond: Pollution board to NGT

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, March 15

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has admitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that wastewater was being disposed of into a pond at Meham town in Rohtak district and the site was found unclean upon inspection.

Submitting its reply on a notice issued by the tribunal, the Regional Officer, Rohtak region of the board, has maintained that the Meham Municipal Committee had invited tenders for connecting the nullahs/wastewater channels of the town into the main sewer line, but initially, no agency submitted the bid.

“Finally, work was awarded on March 5 to one Dinesh Kumar. Now, wastewater has been channelised into the main sewer line to avoid its entry into the land (pond) in question,” the HSPCB officer said. A display board to avoid littering of waste has been installed near the land in question, he added. The officer added that the status of the land in question might be ascertained by the Revenue authorities and remedial measures must be taken accordingly by the authorities concerned, in consultation with the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority. In his reply filed before the NGT in the same matter, Rohtak DC Ajay Kumar has maintained that the status of the land in question was in doubt, adding that a few weeks’ time was required to sort the matter.

The NGT had issued notices to the Haryana Chief Secretary, Rohtak DC, Haryana State Pollution Control Board member-secretary and local municipal authorities over the alleged dumping of garbage, disposal of waste water and filling of loose earth in the pond at Meham.

The tribunal had maintained that as per an application moved by Rakesh Bhardwaj and others, Darbari Mal pond at Meham had been filled with garbage and a portion of the pond had been allegedly encroached upon by land mafia.