The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) for the delay in imposing environmental compensation on those responsible for the uncleared demolition debris of Alfa Serene apartments at Maradu remaining under the waters of the Vembanad Lake.
The committee also reminded the Maradu Municipality of its wrong notion that it was not bound by law. “The PCB cannot absolve from its responsibility of recovering compensation for environmental degradation from the defaulters on the lame excuse that rules do not provide for methods for quantification of compensation. The recalcitrant attitude of the municipality was evident at every stage of the removal of the demolition waste,” said an additional report filed by A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai, SLMC Chairman, before the NGT’s Southern Bench on July 27.
Mr. Pillai, who visited the site on July 26, detected the presence of reinforced beams at a distance of nearly 15 metres from the bank towards the middle of the waterbody. “At some points, steel bars used for reinforced concrete are seen protruding above the water level. Neither the Maradu Municipality nor the Joint Committee [constituted by the committee as per the directions of the NGT] can sit idle till the last piece of debris is removed from the waterbody. If the existing debris in the waterbody remains there, it will lead to undesirable results in future,” said the report.
On the PCB’s delay in imposing environmental compensation on the defaulters, the committee said there could not be any straightjacket formula for assessing the quantum of compensation. “However, while assessing compensation, the authority has to be guided by established norms and principles, which would appear to be just and reasonable. The quantum of compensation fixed shall be neither too low nor disproportionately high. The authority fixing the compensation has to strike a proper balance between these two,” it said.
The SLMC informed the NGT that it would send a wrong message to the defaulters, if recovery of environmental compensation was delayed indefinitely. The Southern Bench of the tribunal had pointed out in May that the Maradu Municipality could not shirk its responsibility in ensuring the disposal of debris resulted out of the demolition of the four apartment buildings as per the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2016.