Green panel pulls up Batala civic body over lack of cleanliness

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to take action against Batala Municipal Corporation (MC) officials and impose penalty on them for the violation of environmental laws pertaining to solid waste management.

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The order has come in connection with a case filed by the Public Action Committee against the illegal dumping of solid waste at public places, including roadsides and into Hansli drain.

The orders were passed by a Bench comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal, A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad.

Experts say the development will have repercussions on other civic bodies as a majority of them are averse to maintaining cleanliness.

Among the complainants are Param Sunil Kaur, Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh. The PPCB had fined the MC Rs 60 lakh for not maintaining proper standards of cleanliness out of which the MC has paid just Rs 13 lakh.

The NGT has ordered the Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC) to take immediate steps to recover the remaining amount of Rs 47 lakh towards environmental clearance from the MC and deposit that with the PPCB. The tribunal also directed the PPCB to take immediate punitive action against the erring officials.

The Gurdaspur DC and the PPCB have been directed to submit compliance reports by March 15.

A joint committee comprising the PPCB, Central Pollution Control Board and the Gurdaspur DC have been asked to prepare a remedial plan. The plan is to be prepared within two months.

Param Sunil Kaur, one of the applicants, said, “The NGT has come down heavily on the Batala MC and this should lead to some real action on the ground to start scientific handling of solid waste instead of just burning or throwing it.”

Meanwhile, MC Commissioner Vikramjeet Panthey said he was apprised of the situation. “The posts of as many as nine sanitary inspectors who are responsible for maintaining cleanliness have been lying vacant. I have also sent some proposals to the MC House which include purchase of light vehicles to remove solid waste. However, the MC House meetings are not being held due to which my proposals are not being executed,” he said.