ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Aug 6: Responding to the Rupees 90 crore penalty imposed by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), the Itanagar Municipal Corporation today said that it was not given a chance for clarification and hearing before being penalised.
The SPCB has slapped a penalty of Rs 90 Crore on both Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) and  Pasighat Municipal Council  (PMC) for not complying with the order to check Legacy Waste Remediation and Sewage Treatment Plant. The penalty was imposed for failing to comply with the order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to set up Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) by March 2020.
Making its stand on the penalty imposed on the urban local body, IMC Mayor Tame Phassang on Friday said the urban local body had been allotted funds in the year 2018-2019 with a total amount of Rupees 140 Crore under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for various developmental projects including  construction of STP, LWR, and Children’s Park etc.
"Only Rupees 30 Crore has been sanctioned so far and has been used in various developmental works by the IMC. The remaining amount of Rupees 110 Crore is yet to be released. The STP was supposed to be set up under the same amount sanctioned under AMRUT but due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, lack of manpower and non-release of adequate funds, work could not be executed on time," the Mayor said.
“When the project never started and no funds were sanctioned for the construction of STP, how can the SPCB and NGT penalise the IMC with such a huge amount of money,” he questioned.
Moreover, IMC was defunct for at least two years due to the proposal for the formation of  Corporation instead of  Council. The Election for new Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) was held and December 2020 and office was resumed on January  2021. So, the SPCB should have gathered correct information on why the setting up of STP was delayed.  The IMC  is only liable to pay the penalty, if the money was sanctioned for the setting up of STP and any report of mismanagement of funds, asserted the Mayor.
Speaking on the Solid Waste Management (SWM), Phassang said that the SWM plant at Chimpu was established in the year 2013. He said that the structure should have been constructed at least 2 km away from the National Highway, according to the NGT.
"The mistake of not building the SWM plant 2km far from the national highway and town area is not IMC's doing. The IMC has earmarked four locations and submitted them to Chief Minister Pema Khandu earlier. Accordingly, the CM has allotted an amount of Rupees 15 Crore for the same,” informed  Phassang.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List