Pollution board wants 6 Rewari STPs to pay Rs 3.34-crore as green compensation

Tribune News Service

Ravinder Saini

Rewari, April 25

The local office of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has recommended a total of Rs 3.34 crore environmental compensation to be sought from six sewage treatment plants (STPs) after their samples were found exceeding the permissible limit of various environment parameters.

Five of the STPs are being operated by the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) on the Nasiaji road, Kaluwas, Bawal, Kharkhara villages and one by the Haryana Shahri Vikas Parishad (HSVP) in Dharuhera town here.

As per sources, the action has been taken on the basis of the reports of samples of the STPs. The samples were, for the first time, taken in December last year and later on April 8 and April 13 in view of a case being heard by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in this respect.

“Environmental compensation of Rs 65 lakh each against STPs at Kharkhara and Kaluwas villages, Rs 64 crore each against both STPs on the Nasiaji road, Rs 63 lakh against STP at Bawal village and Rs 13 lakh against Dharuhera STP has been recommended for the violations of environmental norms committed by the plants,” said an official of the HSPCB.

He said this was the revised environmental compensation recommended to Chairman, HSPCB, who was only authorised to finalise and approve it. “Earlier, the compensation of over Rs 50 lakh each against five STPs operated by the PHED and Rs 10 lakh against the HSVP’s STP was recommended in January, but the local authorities had to revise it following the re-sampling of five of the STPs on April 8 and April 13,” the official added.

Sources said the samples were taken by a joint committee of district officials in view of a petition filed by Prakash Yadav of Kharkhara village against the STPs in the NGT last year. Hearing the case, the NGT sought an action taken report from the district authorities in September 2022.

In his complaint, Yadav claimed that the STPs were releasing sewage in hundreds of acres of vacant land of the dried-up Sahabi River near Kharkhara and Khaliawas villages on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway. The sewage not only led to the contamination of groundwater but also damaged trees and other vegetation, he added.

Vinod Balyan, regional officer, HSPCB, at Dharuhera, has confirmed the environmental compensation recommended against six STPs for the violation of environment norms in the past.

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