Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 23: Municipal Council Bandipora has failed to pay an environmental compensation of around Rs 64 lakh despite the passing of two months since Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board (PCB) found it violating the Municipal Solid Waste Rules 2016.
J&K Pollution Control Board (PCB) after the intervention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a whopping penalty of over sixty-four lakhs on Municipal Council Bandipora, as they found it to be defying the Municipal Solid Waste Rules 2016. The Municipal Council, which was earlier a Municipal Committee, has been dumping all the untreated municipal solid waste near the Wullar catchment area at Zalwan. The NGT and the PCB reportedly issued several notices to MC Bandipora, which it allegedly didn’t adhere to.
Municipal Council Bandipora in its written response last year had told NGT that it was not dumping municipal waste at Zalwan area. The petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat in his counter-response through his counsels Advocates Rahul Chowdhary and Saurabh Sharma had told NGT that MC Bandipora was “lying” and produced photographic evidence, videos, and written statements of the locals.
A local social activist associated with RTI Movement from Bandipora Mushtaq Ahmad Mir had also made a video at the Zalwan dumping site refuting the claims of Municipal Council Bandipora. This video had gone viral on social media
The Pollution Control Board vide its Order Number: 45- PCB of 2021 Dated: 9.02.2021 had directed the Executive Officer Municipal Council Bandipora to deposit an amount of Rs 64, 12000 into Environmental Compensation Fund (ECF) “I am happy to see this order but it is an irony that PCB didn’t put this order into a public domain for over 2 months. PCB had given 45 days to MC Bandipora to deposit the compensation money into the EC Fund. Even after 2 months, the concerned Executive Officer hasn’t deposited the money, the PCB needs to take up the case with DC Bandipora who will do the recovery under J&K Land Revenue Act. The order for environmental compensation should have been made public by PCB soon after they issued it,” said Dr. Raja Muzaffar.
Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir, Mathoora Masoom, said she was unaware about the case and would get back. “I have recently joined and am unaware. I will check details and get back,” she said.
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