NGT imposes Rs 3.6 cr fine each on Kota's municipal corporation, power plant for polluting Chambal

Kota (Rajasthan) Oct 17 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 3.60 crore each on Kota's municipal corporation and thermal power station here for releasing polluted water into the Chambal River.

The Central Zonal Bench of the tribunal in Bhopal, comprising Shiv Kumar Singh and Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, passed the order on October 10 over a public interest litigation filed by environmentalist Babulal Jaju.

The tribunal stated, in its decision, that illegal mining and encroachment on the Chambal riverbank are not only a threat to human life but also fatal to the existence of critically endangered gharials and Gangetic dolphins.

NGT also directed the state environment secretary to form a competent committee to remove illegal mining and encroachment.

National Chambal Sanctuary, along an approximate length of 425 km on the Chambal River, is among the few sanctuaries dedicated to gharial protection in India.

Gharial's is tagged "Critically Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The petitioner said that while giving time-bound directions to the environment secretary to revive the river, it was clarified that maintaining continuous water flow in the river is essential so that pollution prevention and water quality improvement measures can be undertaken.

NGT also directed strict compliance with the "River Centric Urban Planning Guidelines" of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The tribunal warned that sand mining should be completely in accordance with the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines 2020, with punitive action in case of any violation.

The tribunal found that the sewerage disposal system by the municipal corporation is abysmal, with only 49,890 houses out of a total of 1,41,568 houses connected to the main sewer line. The NGT directed the civic body to connect all houses to the sewerage line by March 2026.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the MC's functioning, the green tribunal imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 5 lakh per drain per month on the municipal corporation from April 1, 2020, and ordered the state pollution control board to recover the compensation amount.

Similarly, Kota Super Thermal Power Station was directed to immediately stop the flow of polluted water into the Chambal River, install cooling towers and complete necessary treatment facilities by March 2026.

Also, an environmental damage fee of Rs 5 lakh per month per drain has been imposed for releasing polluted water into drains until the work is completed. PTI COR SHS SHS AMJ AMJ