Puri: Cracking the whip on illegal hotels and lodging houses in the Pilgrim City here, the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has imposed Rs 1 lakh penalty each on 40 hoteliers flouting pollution norms.
Sources said the penalised hoteliers had not collected ‘‘Consent to establish and consent to operate’’ certificates from the pollution watchdog before establishing short stay homes in the city.
The hoteliers have been asked to deposit the penalty with the OSPCB regional office within 15 days. “Earlier, we had penalised 80 hoteliers who did not have the twin certificates. We will soon serve penalty notices on 400 hoteliers who have failed to obtain environment clearance,” said OSPCB regional officer Hadibandhu Panigrahi, adding that the pollution watchdog will seal hotels in case of non-payment of penalty amount.
The Water Prevention and Control Act-1974 has made it mandatory that people should collect ‘Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate certificates’ from OSPCB before setting up of hotels in state.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the OSPCB to take action on hoteliers who failed to obtain the twin certificates by August 6, 2015. It had then asked the pollution control body to impose penalty anywhere between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 6 lakh on illegal hotels mushrooming around the city, sources said.
The green body had slashed the penalty amount by entertaining a petition filed the Orissa Hoteliers’ Association in December last year.
As per the revised fine structure, hoteliers who have failed to obtain the required certificates will pay Rs 1 lakh as fine while those who did not renew their papers will be asked to pay Rs 50,000.
Acting upon the NGT order, the OSPCB had initiated action against illegal hotels across the state. However, the pollution watchdog could not initiate immediate action against illegal hotels in the Holy City in the wake of an interim stay by the Orissa High Court. “We have initiated action against errant hoteliers after the HC vacated the interim stay,” Panigrahi said.
According to sources, the coastal city has at least 500 short stay homes, but only 15 of them had obtained OSPCB approval by the cut-off date. PNN
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