*Official buildings too openly violating law
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 13: In a testimony of non-serious approach towards strict enforcement of The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, several agencies of the State Government don’t have any data about the hotels, guest houses and lodges lacking individual Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), which otherwise are mandatory to check pollution of water bodies. Most shocking aspect is that even the Government buildings are flouting the law openly right under the nose of the concerned authorities.
The issue of strict enforcement of The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and installation of individual STPs by the hotels, guest houses and lodges came to the fore when the Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting encroachments on banks of River Tawi and its pollution due to unchecked flow of effluent from the commercial establishments, in the third week of last month.
The Division Bench had noted with concern that for the last two decades countless hotels, guest houses and lodges came up in the City of Temples and majority of such establishments have been contributing to the pollution of sacred River Tawi by allowing the effluent to flow into the river.
With these observations, the DB had put three agencies of the State Government—Pollution Control Board, Jammu Municipal Corporation and Tourism Department in the dock as Pollution Control Board has the mandate to ensure implementation of provisions of The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act while as Jammu Municipal Corporation is responsible for checking flow of effluent in the River Tawi. Similarly, Tourism Department is the agency handling the registration of hotels, guest houses and lodges.
However, none of these agencies of the State have ever paid any serious attention towards checking this menace, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “the most shocking aspect is that they are even not aware of number of establishments which are violating the law”.
The Pollution Control Board which is the main agency to ensure strict implementation of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act doesn’t have any data about hotels having individual STPs, functional STPs and without STPs.
“This is notwithstanding the fact that Pollution Control Board’s consent is mandatory to begin installation of STPs by the hotels, guest houses and lodges”, they said, adding “moreover, as per the provisions of the Act, the Pollution Control Board is required to obtain proof of establishment of STPs and their formal inspection before giving nod for their operation”.
“In the light of directions issued by the Division Bench of State High Court, the concerned officers of the Board have been asked to collect the information about STPs and furnish the same so that appropriate reply is filed before the High Court”, said Member Secretary of PCB Sameer Bharti. He, however, said that hotels, guest houses and lodges having more than 19 rooms are required to have individual STPs while as establishments having less than 19 rooms are required to have storage tanks having connectivity with the STP(s) of the local municipal body.
Similarly, the Jammu Municipal Corporation is required to install sufficient number of Sewage Treatment Plants so that those commercial establishments which don’t fall within the purview of having individual STPs are connected with the same and flow of effluent to River Tawi is checked. “Unfortunately, JMC has not constructed any such STP for Jammu city till date”, sources pointed out.
As far as Tourism Department is concerned, sources said, “the authorities of this department register the hotels, guest houses and lodges only after considering the No Objection Certificate issued by the Pollution Control Board but they are also groping in dark about the hotels, guest houses and lodges having individual STPs as per the provisions of law”.
“This is not the situation in the City of Temples only as many hotels in other places like Katra, Patnitop and other tourist resorts are also lacking individual STPs”, sources said, adding “in some of the major tourist spots the concerned Developmental Authorities have also not established STPs for common use by the business establishments”.
“What to talk of private hotels, guest houses and lodges even the Government buildings are also flouting the norms openly”, sources said, “there are several such buildings which don’t have mandatory STPs mainly because of non-serious approach of all the concerned authorities”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Division Bench had also directed the Government to install STPs in all such buildings housing Government departments/organizations which have more than 50 rooms.
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