Environmental watchdog  National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a hefty Rs 4,000 crore fine on state of Bihar for its failure to manage solid and liquid waste in a scientific manner.

An NGT bench comprising of chairperson Justice A K Goel, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi along with experts Afroz Ahmad and A Senthil Vel, imposed Rs 4,000 crore environmental compensation on Bihar and directed the state to deposit the fine in a ring-fenced account within two months.

The said amount was to be operated according to the chief secretary’s directions only for waste management in the state of Bihar, the bench said.

The NGT bench said the fine has been imposed on the “polluter pays principle” for Bihar’s failure to scientifically manage the liquid and solid waste in violation of the mandate of law, particularly judgments of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, adding that the amount will be utilized for setting up of setting up solid waste processing facilities, remediation of legacy waste and setting up of sewage treatment plants, and faecal sludge and septage treatment plants so there remains no gap.

Read Also: Manipur violence: Amit Shah cancels Karnataka election campaign

The green tribunal bench noted that Bihar has a legacy waste of over 11.74 lakh metric tonnes as well as unprocessed urban waste of 4072 metric tonnes per day and the gap in liquid waste generation and treatment was 2,193 million litres per day.

The bench urged the state to find better alternatives to utilize the wet waste for composting and explore appropriate locations for the same, adding that the scale of expenditure for sewage treatment plants may be reviewed in the light of realistic expenses involved in decentralized/traditional systems or otherwise.

Bihar capital Patna along with six other cities— Darbhanga, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Chhapra and Hajipur— are ranked among the 50 most polluted cities in the world, as per an IQAir report.

Veteran Akali Dal leader Charanjit Singh Atwal joins BJP

NCP panel rejects Sharad Pawar’s resignation

The post NGT slaps Rs 4,000 crore fine on Bihar for failure to manage solid, liquid waste appeared first on APN News.