PUNE: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has restrained the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) from incinerating animals at the civic animal carcass plant in Keshavnagar, Mundhwa, till January 17 when it posted the next hearing of an application against the plant.
“It is also open for Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to cause inspection of the plant as well as RDF plant and file additional report as to the alleged pollution being caused or already caused on account of operation of both plants,” the NGT bench of Justice M. Sathyanarayanan and expert member Dr Arun Kumar Verma said on November 25.
Keshavnagar resident Mohan Nanasaheb Kudale has filed the application through lawyer Saurabh Kulkarni alleging, among other things, that the plant is being operated without a valid environment clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006 issued by the Ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC).
The plea also raises concerns about the health hazards posed to the residents around the plant and the pollution and foul smell caused by it. On March 6 last year, the NGT had assigned a three-member expert panel comprising representatives of MoEF&CC’s regional office in Nagpur, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Pune district collector to jointly inspect the plant and file a report. The joint panel filed its report in October last year and the green tribunal had further asked the MPCB, MoEF&CC and the PMC to file reply affidavits in the matter.
“Despite sufficient opportunity granted to the PMC, no reply affidavit has been filed so far that apart there is no representation on their behalf, the NGT bench said and went on to direct the PMC commissioner to appear before it through video conferencing at the next hearing to provide “necessary and effective” cooperation in the matter.
The bench referred to the MPCB’s stand, and observed, “In the light of above facts and circumstances, especially the stand taken by MPCB, a prima facie case has been made out for grant of interim orders; otherwise, hardship and difficulties being caused to nearby residents would continue. The balance of convenience as on today, lies in faovur of the Original Applicant (Kudale).”
In its reply affidavit on September 29, the MPCB cited an MoEF&CC letter of July 17, 2020 and submitted that there was no provision under any schedule of the EIA Notification, 2006 for obtaining Environment Clearance (EC) for the incinerator unit incinerating the dead animals.
It further submitted that a `consent to operate’ the plant, valid up to June 30, 2018, was first granted and was later extended till January 31 this year and a PMC plea for further renewal is pending consideration. Lawyer Saurabh Kulkarni, appearing for Kudale, then submitted that the PMC must make its stand clear in the light of the MPCB’s reply affidavit and the tribunal may pass appropriate orders till then.
