Bhupen Goswami
Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 200 crore on the state of Nagaland. The fine has been imposed for allegedly not managing solid and liquid waste management that harms the environment. A bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, while passing the order on November 24, said that considering the statement of difference in sewage generation and treatment and difference in solid waste management, “we recover a compensation of Rs 200 crore on the state on the polluter payment principle.”
The penalty is in violation of the law’s mandate for failure to scientifically manage liquid and solid waste, especially for the decisions of the Supreme Court and this tribunal. The bench also said that the amount can be kept in the ring. For waste management in the state, only the fence account will be operated as per the instructions of the Chief Secretary. Rs 200 crore should be used for setting up solid waste processing facilities, treatment of old waste and setting up of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and FSSTPs, so that there is no difference. We hope that the State of Nagaland will take further measures in this matter through an innovative approach and strict monitoring in terms of dialogue with the Chief Secretary. This will ensure that the gap in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment is bridged at the earliest. The bench directed cities, towns and villages to ensure compliance by the chief secretary in a time-bound manner without any delay.
The issues of solid and liquid waste management as per the Supreme Court order dated September 2, 2014, are being monitored by the tribunal as per the order of solid waste management and liquid waste management of February 22, 2017. Other related issues include pollution of 351 river stretches, 124 non-attainment cities in terms of air quality, 100 polluted industrial clusters, illegal sand mining, etc. which have been dealt with in the past. But we propose to limit the action in the present case. Solid waste and sewage management are two issues, the order said. The tribunal further said that in view of continued non-compliance, as per the order dated January 16, 2019, the tribunal directed chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories to appear for interaction in person to ensure compliance. The tribunal also said that large-scale non-compliance with environmental norms results in deaths and diseases and irreversible damage to the environment, accountability for such failures is a must be fixed and violation of the directions is an offence.
