Munnar panchayat issues notice to 45 hotels

Kochi: The Munnar panchayat has served notice on 45 more hotels and homestays in the hill town as part of its drive against polluting facilities even as it is gearing up to enforce the closure notice it has served on five resorts. The panchayat has also moved the police department to enforce the stop memo issued by the revenue department to close to 90 properties under construction in the Munnar region.

“We have no option but to close down the resorts as they are found polluting the water near a school,” said panchayat secretary J Madhusoodanan Unnithan. “They have been so blatant in their operation in that they did not even have facilities to treat septage. The panchayat council is also of the opinion that such violation of law cannot be condoned.”

The panchayat, which had in the last two weeks served notice on seven hotels and resorts, have put another 45 properties on notice. “We have asked them to make arrangements for treating the waste in 30 days,” Mr Unnithan said. “There is a proposal before the panchayat to provide space for setting up a treatment plant, and the panchayat council will take a decision on that.”

The official said the panchayat has noticed that some resorts and hotels which were served stop memos went ahead with the work in the night. “We have requested the police to make the owners comply with the order of the revenue department,” he said.