SPCB issues show cause notice to company for reckless muck dumping

SOLAN: The officials of the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) issued a show cause notice to the GR Infraprojects company on November 13, 2018, considering the unscientific and reckless dumping of muck at unauthorized sites. The company has been asked to reply in seven days.

GR Infraprojects is a private company executing the four-laning of the Parwanoo-Solan stretch of National Highway (NH)-22.

The officials of Board observed that muck had been dumped at unauthorized sites adjoining the NH and there was no satisfactory compliance on the ground despite several show-cause notices issued to ensure the compliance of the environmental norms.

The company has been issued a notice to explain their stand as this was a clear violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

The board officials noted that no protection measures had been taken while dumping muck on various stretches which led to the generation of dust. Neither regular sprinkling of water nor any other effective steps were taken to control the dust generation.

Atul Parmar, Assistant Environment Engineer of the board’s Parwanoo office informed that keeping in view the various violations pertaining to unscientific dumping of muck, the company has been issued a show-cause notice to explain why the penal action in the form of legal prosecution may not be initiated against it for utter disregard of the environment.

The company has been directed to submit the information pertaining to the total number of authorised dumping sites allotted to it, the quantity of muck generated in the last year and disposed of in the designated sites along with a month-wise breakup, total muck utilised at the site and protection measures against generation along with photographic evidence.

The company has also been directed to submit an action plan for checking dumping of muck along the slopes in the future, besides details of water sprinkling at the sites.

Dumping of muck has become an issue of concern for the board. The unscientific muck dumping at some sites had choked the seasonal drainage system. The problem aggravated in monsoon when the dumped muck flowed down into low lying habitations., damaging the farmlands as well as some houses.