The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Southern Bench here has imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000 on a Chennai-based packaged drinking water unit, which continued to function despite an order to close it down.
The Bench’s order was on a plea by Shanmuga Aqua Industries of Gandhi Nagar West in Chennai, which sought to modify the Tribunal’s January 29 order that categorised the applicant as one of the units, which cannot be permitted to operate. The TNPCB had issued a show cause notice to the unit as to why it should not be ordered to close down, since it had not obtained order of consent from authorities.
However, on obtaining consent from authorities, the unit contended that it cannot be categorised as one of the units which cannot be permitted to operate and sought to modify the January 29 order.
The Bench comprising Justice P. Jyothimani and expert member P.S. Rao said, “There was no embargo on the part of the applicant at any point of time to explain to this Tribunal that he is not coming under the Category 1. Having not done so, in spite of categorising the unit under Category 1, the applicant has been running the unit and doing business and to that extent there is a violation.” The Bench further directed the applicant to pay the Rs. 20,000 compensation into the account of the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) within two weeks. It said the applicant can make fresh applications before the authorities concerned and if it failed to obtain permission, the January 29 order would have to be followed.
It had been functioning without obtaining order of consent from the authorities
