The National Green Tribunal on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore on the Kochi Municipal Corporation for the recent fire at the city’s Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, reported Live Law.
On March 2, a fire broke out at the 110-acre dumping ground, which took 11 days to be doused. The smoke from the smoldering dump had engulfed most parts of Kochi, leaving a blanket of toxic haze. Residents in the city complained of watery eyes, headaches and breathing difficulties.
The tribunal said it was a “matter of regret” that no accountability for the incident had been fixed. It ordered action to be taken against the responsible officers both through criminal law and through departmental proceedings. It directed that the result of the action should be made public in two months.
The bench of the National Green Tribunal said that authorities in Kerala had rampantly violated the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and directions of the Supreme Court in this regard, according to Live Law.
“Such attitude of state authorities is threat to rule of law,” it said. “We hope the situation is remedied at the higher level in the state such as the DGP [Director General of Police] and the Chief Secretary to uphold the Constitution and the mandate of environmental law.”
On March 15, a panel formed by the Kerala High Court to inspect the Brahmapuram dumping yard had found that the facilities for waste management were inadequate.
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