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The National Green Tribunal has directed authorities to ensure the closure of 76 polluting industries around Bengaluru’s Bellandur Lake.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the city’s Deputy Commissioner and the authorities concerned to ensure immediate disconnection of water and electricity supply to these industries.
It also directed that housing societies and residential complexes near the lake will have STPs working within the prescribed parameters, failing which their power and water supply will be snapped too.
The Tribunal’s attention was drawn to the issue in February when reports and photographs appeared of a fire in a mound of garbage near the Bengaluru lake.
“The state pollution control board shall exercise its power vested under Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 read with Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and to seize the industries, if the need arise,” the bench said.
The green panel directed the joint inspection team comprising officials from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and the state pollution control board to jointly inspect all sewage treatment plants (STPs) that have been installed by housing societies and residential complexes near the lake.
“The STPs which are not operating, they shall give a time bound programme to bring the parameters within the prescribed limit, failing which the electricity and water supply should be disconnected to such complexes. However, reasonable time should be granted to them to comply with the prescribed parameters,” the bench said.
It directed immediate removal of municipal solid waste and construction debris, which has been dumped into the lake, under the supervision of the Committee appointed by the tribunal.
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