Eloor Municipality to penalise companies for polluting Periyar River

KOCHI, Kerala: The Eloor Municipality has informed that it has decided to take strict actions against the companies situated alongside the Periyar River, as they have been dumping chemical and biological effluents, thus polluting the river.

The municipal secretary has written a letter to the Chief Environment Engineer informing him that the massive fish death that has occurred recently stems from the pollutants these companies have been discharging into the river.  The letter read, “It has been found that these companies have not been adhering to the guidelines prescribed by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and as a result, not only it has affected the river ecosystem adversely, but also the cage fish farmers had to suffer financial loss.”

Given these circumstances, the civic body is determined to take action against these companies under section 340A of the Kerala Municipal Act 1994, which empowers the local body to penalize these companies with a fine of ₹50,000 or imprison the owners for a period not less than six months. The letter added the offence is non-bailable. The municipal secretary has also asked the State Pollution Control Board to provide them with the details of the errant companies.

The Eloor civic body has also filed a police complaint regarding the massive fish deaths. The Department of Fisheries has come up with an estimate of the loss suffered by the fishermen, including inland fishermen, which is about ₹10 crore.