Top Delhi hotels, including Taj Palace, Crowne Plaza, Lalit, fined for improper sewage treatment

The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday slapped fines as high as Rs 7 lakh on major waste generators in the city, including five-star hotels and banquet halls, for not complying with solid waste management rules.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed hefty penalties on these defaulting bodies for failing to properly manage and treat sewage. The green court imposed a fine of Rs 7 lakh each on Taj Palace, Taj Vivanta hotels and Zorba Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Rs 5 lakh each on Crowne Plaza in Mayur Vihar, the Lalit and Hotel Metropolitan, Rs 3 lakh each on Golden Petal Hotel & Banquet and Mayur Vihar-based Holiday Inn, and Rs 2.50 lakh on GK Motel Pvt Ltd.

The NGT also directed them to install sewage treatment plants and anti-pollution devices within two weeks and asked them to ensure that the STPs function properly on a regular basis. It listed the matter for hearing on Thursday.

The action came days after a panel of experts set up by the Delhi High Court to look into the problem of solid waste management in the city recommended change in by-laws to include heavy fines for littering and compulsory segregation of waste in every household.

The HC on August 2 asked the municipal corporations to complete within two weeks the draft bylaws for solid waste management rules and place them before the court. The direction came during the hearing of two petitions filed in public interest seeking directions to the municipal bodies and other authorities to take steps to prevent spread of dengue, chikungunya and malaria.

NOTICES ISSUED EARLIER

The green panel had earlier issued notices to major waste generators in the city including five-star hotels, malls, hospitals, educational institutions with hostels and housing societies, which have not complied with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

It had issued notices to eight defaulting hotels and two hospitals in the area covered by the New Delhi Municipal Council, seven hotels, four malls, five hospitals, railway and bus stations under East Delhi Municipal Corporation besides several others in North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations.

The NGT order had come after it examined an interim report submitted by a committee set up by it which recommended action against defaulting bodies for improper management and treatment of sewage and lack of mechanism to recycle waste.

The tribunal had constituted the committee comprising representatives of the ministries of environment and urban development, Director General of Health Services, Medical Council of India, DDA, municipal corporations, the Delhi government, Central Pollution Control Board, railways and Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

It also had four independent experts. It had directed the committee to inspect all five-star hotels, hospitals which have more than 200 beds, cooperative group housing societies with over 300 flats, markets, shopping malls with built-up area of over 50,000 sq mts, colleges having hostel accommodating more than 500 students in Delhi.

The green panel had earlier directed the Delhi government to provide a list of all mass generators of waste, while noting that the problem of waste generation was being faced by the entire country and urgent steps were needed to be taken without demur and default.

The green body had noted that Delhi generates nearly 14,100 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day and said that the mass generators of waste cannot be equated to a simple households generating trash.

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