MIDC to pay Rs 5 crore cost for polluting water body

Mumbai: The Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a cost of Rs 5 crores on the Mumbai Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for polluting the Taloja industrial area on the outskirts of Mumbai by discharging industrial effluents in a water body. The bench imposed the cost while hearing a petition filed by a resident.

The NGT bench comprising of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel (chairperson), Justice SP. Wangdi (judicial member) and Dr Nagin Nanda (expert member) passed this order while hearing the application filed by Arvind Pundalik Mhatre seeking action against the alleged discharge of untreated water in a body close to the residential area, damaging the ecosystem and health of the inhabitants.

As per the NGT order, considering the repeated failure on the part of the regulatory authorities and the CETP (Common Effluent Treatment Plant) operator, the NGT had appointed a monitoring committee headed by former Bombay high court judge V.M. Kanade to propose a time-bound action plan. Justice Kanade, in his report, had proposed steps for up-gradation of the CETP. Following this, the MIDC took over the CETP and started its work on November 1, 2018. However, the pollution continued following which the tribunal on April 9, 2019, had directed that industries which are sources of pollution be shut down till remedial action is taken.

Since the above order was not complied with and matter came up for hearing again earlier this month, the bench passed order saying, “We direct that MIDC is liable to deposit a further sum of Rs 5 crores for causing pollution after it took over CETP operation in 2018. We further direct that if the remaining amount of compensation, as per earlier order, as well as the current amount, is not deposited by September 30, 2019, the salaries of CEO, MIDC, Deputy CEO (Environment), MIDC and Members Secretary, MPCB be stopped till compliance.”