The Hindu 29.10.2010
SPCB takes Sambalpur Municipality to court
Staff Reporter
BHUBANESWAR: The State Pollution Control Board has filed a criminal case against Executive Officer of Sambalpur Municipality charging that solid waste being generated from the town was not properly handled by the civic body.
The case was filed in the court of Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Sambalpur and the court was urged to take cognizance of the offence and punish the accused as per the law.
The SPCB found that the Sambalpur municipality authority was unauthorisedly dumping the municipal solid waste on the bank of Mahanadi river.
“The municipal authorities have failed to comply the conditions mentioned in authorisation letter issued by the board on July 3 2010.
Instead, it was carrying out activities in violation of Rule 6 of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000,” the board said.
Ever since the rules were framed for Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Act in Orissa, it was the first case in which SPCB approached a court to take action against a civic body, a board official said.
The rules say every municipal authority shall, within the territorial area of municipality, be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of these rules.
In the month of April, the SPCB scientists had carried out another inspection and submitted a report. They said the municipal solid waste was to be dumped at Zamadarpali, instead the waste was being disposed of at the upstream of Mahanadi bridge near Laxmi dungri area.
“It was resulting in public nuisance. Further the practice of disposal of municipal waste was contaminating the Mahanadi River. As per the report, the collection, segregation, transportation and treatment of municipal solid wastes are not at all satisfactory.
It was contravening condition of authorisation,” SPCB stated in its petition.
Earlier in two pollution cases, the SPCB had moved court seeking action against two municipal authorities such as Cuttack and Berhampur under Water Act.
