The National Green Tribunal on Thursday fined the Punjab government over Rs 2,000 crore for its failure to treat solid and liquid waste, reported PTI.
A bench led by National Green Tribunal chairperson Justice AK Goel said that it is the “absolute liability” of the state to have a comprehensive plan to control pollution. The tribunal also stressed that compliance of environmental norms on waste management has to be on high priority.
“If there is deficit in budgetary allocations, it is for the state and the state alone to have suitable planning by reducing cost or augmenting resources,” the bench said.
The bench estimated the total compensation for the failure to prevent discharge of untreated sewage and solid waste to be at Rs 2,180 crore. The Punjab government has already deposited Rs 100 crore with the tribunal.
Justice Goel directed the Punjab government to deposit the remaining Rs 2,080 crore within two months.
On September 15, Justice Goel had also fined the Uttar Pradesh government Rs 120 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of liquid and solid waste.
The tribunal is monitoring compliance of Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and other environmental problems by states and Union Territories.
On September 8, the National Green Tribunal imposed a fine of Rs 200 crore on the Ghaziabad Development Authority and the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation for their “far from satisfactory” management of sewage and solid waste in the city.
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