High Court orders independent assessment of STPs

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 31

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the state to deposit Rs 12 crore with its Registrar-General as a security for implementing recommendations that may arise from an independent assessment of the sewage treatment plants (STPs).

The court’s directive follows concern raised regarding the accuracy of sewage treatment statistics submitted by the state in an ongoing case involving environmental pollution.

The Bench was hearing two petitions filed by the Parent-Teacher Association and other petitioners through senior counsel RS Khosla, along with advocates Sarvesh Malik and Aman Sharma. During the proceedings, Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj’s Bench was presented with conflicting data regarding the number and capacity of the STPs operational in Punjab.

While an affidavit filed by the state mentioned 122 STPs, earlier submissions to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had indicated the existence of 128 STPs. The state’s reported sewage generation also showed discrepancies, with figures differing between submissions to the court and the NGT.

In response to these inconsistencies, Justice Bhardwaj agreed with the petitioners’ suggestion for an independent sampling of the treated discharge from these STPs.

Advocate-General Gurminder Singh consented to the sampling being conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Justice Bhardwaj directed the CPCB to form expert teams to collect samples from all 128 STPs and to submit the results before the next hearing on September 30. All related expenses will be borne by the state.

Justice Bhardwaj also issued a slew of other directions. The state has been ordered to initiate steps to halt the diversion of untreated sewage near schools, educational institutions, and medical facilities. The court also mandated the cleaning, chlorination and fumigation of stagnant water in rural areas where the STPs have not yet been installed, requiring this process to be completed within a month.

Justice Bhardwaj, on the previous date of hearing, had made it clear that Punjab could not shirk its responsibility to make appropriate arrangements for sewage treatment, especially in areas adjacent to schools where the health of children was at risk.

He had also directed the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of all relevant departments to expedite the resolution of the issue. The focus was on implementing adequate measures to address high level of “fecal coliform” found in the STPs and to eliminate the problem of open sewage discharge.