NGT acts tough, top city hotels fined
5-star hotels to pay `7L for not complying with waste rules
The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday cracked the whip on major waste generators in the city, including 5-star hotels and banquet halls, slapping fines of as high as `7 lakh each on some of them for not complying with the solid waste management rules.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed hefty fines on these defaulting bodies for failing to properly manage and treat sewage.
The green panel imposed a penalty of `7 lakh each on Taj Palace, Taj Vivanta hotels and Zorba Entertainment Pvt Ltd, `5 lakh each on Crown Plaza in Mayur Vihar, the Lalit and Hotel Metropolitan, `3 lakh each on Golden Petal Hotel & Banquet and Mayur Vihar-based Holiday Inn and `2.50 lakh on G.K. Motel Pvt Ltd.
The National Green Tribunal also directed them to install sewage treatment plants (STPs) and anti-pollution devices within two weeks and asked them to ensure that STPs function properly on a regular basis. It listed the matter for hearing on Friday. The green panel had earlier issued notices to major waste generators in the city including 5-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 National Green Tribunal order had come after it perused 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.