NGT fines four government hospitals over waste disposal

The National Green Tribunal today imposed fines on four government hospitals for not complying with the solid waste management rules.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed environment compensation of Rs 50,000 each on Lady Hardinge Medical College and Indira Gandhi ESI, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospitals.
The green panel directed these hospitals to collect their waste in a segregated form and ensure its disposal at the sites identified for the purpose in accordance with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. It fixed the matter for hearing on September 4.
On August 18, the NGT had imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on Shalimar Bagh-based Fortis Hospital and Rs 1.5 lakh each on Max Super Speciality Hospital and Dharamshila Hospital & Research Centre.

Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital ,
Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya

, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital
,
Swami Dayanand Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital were also slapped with fines of Rs 75,000 each.
The tribunal had earlier imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh each on Hotel Leela Venture Ltd, Fraser Suites, Royal Plaza and Mahagun Hotels Pvt Ltd, Rs 2 lakh each on Chhatarpur-based Radiance Motel and Golden Petal Hotel and Banquet and Rs 2.5 lakh on
Park Inn.
It had directed them to submit 25 per cent of the fine amount to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the rest of it to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

The NGT had also asked the hotels to set up sewage treatment plants and anti-pollution devices within four weeks and ensure that the STPs function properly on a regular basis.
It had also issued notice to major waste generators in the city including five-star hotels, malls, hospitals, educational institutions with hostels and housing societies which had not complied with Solid Waste Management Rules.
The NGT order had come after it perused an interim report submitted by a committee set up by it. The report had recommended action against the erring bodies for improper management and treatment of sewage and lacking mechanism to recycle waste.

The tribunal had constituted the committee comprising representatives of the ministries of Environment and Urban Development, Director General of Health Services, Medical Council of India, Delhi Development Authority, municipal corporations, Delhi government, CPCB, Railways and DPCC. The panel also had four independent experts.
The committee was asked to inspect all five-star hotels, hospitals with more than 200 beds, cooperative group housing societies with over 300 flats, markets, shopping malls with a built up area of over 50,000 square metres and colleges having hostels accommodating over 500 students in Delhi.