Restaurants, roadside eateries at Murthal operating without approval, CPCB tells NGT

The Central Pollution Control Board on Monday told the National Green Tribunal that restaurants and roadside eateries at Murthal in Haryana were operating without approval from state pollution control boards and extracting ground water without permission.

The apex pollution monitoring body which along with Haryana state pollution control board and the municipal corporation inspected the eating outlets told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that the units need to take necessary permission from state pollution control boards for operating roadside eateries and restaurants.

"The state pollution control boards should ensure that these roadside eateries/restaurants obtain necessary permission from the boards as per the state policy. No unit should be allowed to be established in areas in which such facilities are not available and should be closed down or shifted to areas where such facilities are available," the CPCB said in its report.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also recommended that the state pollution control boards should ensure that necessary infrastructure with respect to collection and treatment of sewage and solid waste has been provided prior to granting permission to such units.

"The state board must have robust mechanism to evaluate compliance with norms of such units at least twice a year. The local authorities concerned should provide the necessary infrastructure, including collection and processing of segregated waste and collection and treatment of sewage from such units," it said.

The body also recommended that the units should properly channelise the fugitive emissions, including emissions from cooking and kitchen operations, by providing proper ducting and exhaust system.

The tribunal had earlier directed authorities to expedite setting up of a solid waste treatment plant for management of garbage generated by eateries and asked why a decentralised treatment plant has not been set up by the 'dhabas' in the area.

Perusing a report by the state pollution control board, the tribunal had noted that the integrated solid waste management project is expected to be completed by December 31, 2020.

Observing that the report shows a "sorry state of affairs", the bench had said the units which are emitting less than 10 KLD effluent should be required to install modular STPs to avoid their transportation elsewhere.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Haryana resident Abhay Dahiya and others against illegal dumping and burning of garbage, and discharge of untreated water by various establishments, including restaurants on G T Road, Murthal in Sonepat district.