Barara municipal committee fined Rs 62L for violating waste rules

The Regional Office of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 62 lakh on the Municipal Committee, Barara, for non-compliance of solid waste rules.

Besides the collection, transportation, segregation and processing of solid waste, the committee is also responsible for the maintenance of solid waste dumping/processing site at Moujgarh village.

Following a complaint, the National Green Tribunal had constituted a joint committee in September last year comprising the District Magistrate, State Pollution Control Board and the Executive Officer of the committee to visit the areas. The team visited the sites in February.

An official said huge quantity of mixed solid waste was found dumped on different sites of the town, and the collection agreement between the committee and the contractor had expired. The dumping site was found operational without obtaining prior consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO) from the board.

As per the board’s order, the committee had not submitted the annual return of waste handled for previous years. Nearly 1.5 tonnes of mixed waste was found dumped at the site. The site was also not meeting the criteria prescribed under the Solid Waste Management Rules and the compost pits were found damaged.

Ambala Regional Officer of HSPCB Ajay Malik said, “The Municipal Committee, Barara, was improperly and unscientifically disposing the solid waste under its jurisdiction. An interim environmental compensation of Rs 62 lakh has been imposed on it for the period of April 1, 2020, to May 31, 2025. The committee has been told to deposit the amount within 15 days to avoid further legal action.”

Haryana Tribune