The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered penalty to be levied on plastic recycling unit in M. Pudhupalayam, Panruti.
Based on a petition filed by a resident of the village against Shiva Sakthi Plastics and Sakthi Plastics, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) inspected the unit and found they were operating without obtaining Consent to Operate (CTO) from the TNPCB, and had stored plastic scrap in the middle of the habitation.
A show-cause notice was issued on February 10 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 for the violations. The TNPCB then analysed water samples surrounding the unit and found no contamination, following which the consent to operation was issued.
“If the operation was done by the project proponent without consent, the TNPCB should have computed the number of days during which the Project Proponent was carrying on the operations and should have levied the compensation. However, the report is silent about it,” the Bench said in its hearing on August 9 and directed the TNPCB to levy the compensation for the period in which the unit was in operation without obtaining the Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate.
