Puri: The Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) Wednesday imposed Rs 1 lakh penalty each on 50 hoteliers for violating environment norms.
“The pollution watchdog has directed the hoteliers to deposit the penalty within 15 days,” said OSPCB regional officer Hadibandhu Panigrahi. He said 80 more hotels operating in Puri would be penalised soon for their failure to adhere to the norms.
The Pilgrim city has 530 hotels and lodging houses. The OSPCB had earlier fined 430 hotels and around Rs 2 crore has been collected from them.
According to the Water Prevention and Control Act, 1974, people interested in opening hotels in the state are bound to collect ‘Consent to Establish’ and ‘Consent to Operate’ certificates from the OSPCB.
Notably, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had asked the OSPCB to impose Rs 1 lakh penalty on the hoteliers sans the certificates and Rs 50,000 on those who have not renewed the certificates by August 5, 2015.