Firm given 7 days to reply for reckless muck dumping

SOLAN: Taking serious note of the unscientific and reckless dumping of muck by the company executing the four-laning of the Parwanoo-Solan stretch of NH-22 in unauthorised sites, officials of the State Pollution Control Board issued a 7-day show-cause notice to the company on Tuesday.

Pollution control board officials had observed that muck had been dumped at non-designated places adjoining the NH-22 and despite several show-cause notices to ensure the compliance of environmental norms, there was no satisfactory compliance on the ground.

Tribune News Service
Solan, November 15

Taking serious note of the unscientific and reckless dumping of muck by the company executing the four-laning of the Parwanoo-Solan stretch of NH-22 in unauthorised sites, officials of the State Pollution Control Board issued a 7-day show-cause notice to the company on Tuesday.

Board officials observed that muck had been dumped at non-designated places adjoining the NH and despite several show-cause notices to ensure the compliance of the environmental norms, there was no satisfactory compliance on the ground.

Since this was a clear violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the company has been issued a notice to explain their stand.

The board officials noted that no protection measures had been undertaken while dumping muck on various stretches which resulted in the generation of dust. There was neither regular sprinkling of water, nor were any effective steps taken to control dust generation.

Keeping in view various violations pertaining to unscientific dumping of muck, GR Infraprojects has been issued a show-cause notice to explain why penal action in the form of legal prosecution may not be initiated against it for utter disregard of the environment, informed Assistant Environment Engineer of the board’s Parwanoo office Atul Parmar.

The company has been directed to submit information pertaining to the total number of authorised dumping sites it has been allotted, the quantity of muck generated in the last one year and disposed of in the designated sites along with a month-wise breakup, total muck utilised at the site and protection measures against generation along with photographic evidence.

The company has also been directed to submit an action plan for checking dumping of muck along the slopes in the future, besides details of water sprinkling at the sites.

Dumping of muck has become an issue of concern for the board. The unscientific muck dumping at some sites had choked the seasonal nullahs. The problem aggravated in monsoons when the dumped muck flowed down into habitations lying below, damaging the arable land as well as some houses.