NGT slaps Rs 200 crore penalty on Nagaland for environmental damage

NGT slaps Rs 200 crore penalty on Nagaland for environmental damage

The amount will be utilized for setting up solid waste processing facilities and remediation of legacy waste

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has levied a massive compensation of Rs.200 crores on Nagaland for allegedly not managing the solid and liquid waste management, causing harm to the environment.

Explaining the reason, the bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said, "The polluter pays for its failure in scientifically managing the liquid and solid waste in violation of the mandate of the law, particularly the judgments of the Supreme Court and this tribunal."

NGT said the sum could be kept in a ring-fenced account to be operated as per the directions of the chief secretary for the state's waste management scheme. It could be utilized for setting up solid waste processing facilities, remediation of legacy waste, and sewage treatment and faecal sludge treatment plants.

The bench hoped the state would take an innovative approach and stringent monitoring measures to ensure the gaps in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment were bridged soon. The restoration plans were to be executed simultaneously in all districts, cities, towns, and villages in a time-bound manner.

The issue of waste management is being monitored by the tribunal as per the apex court's September 2014 and February 2017 orders, respectively. Other related issues, including pollution of 351 river stretches, 124 non-attainment cities in terms of air quality, 100 polluted industrial clusters, and illegal sand mining, have also been dealt with earlier.

On continuous disregard of the January 2019 order, the tribunal directed the personal presence of the chief secretaries of all states and union territories for interaction to ensure compliance. It also held that due to large-scale defiance of environmental norms, diseases and deaths of people occurred and irreversible damage was caused to the environment.

Though violating the rules and orders of the tribunal is a criminal offence, NGT stated there was no accountability and rampant violation by the state authorities continued. It was time the highest functionaries of the state upheld the rule of the law in the interest of public health.