Pollution board serving illegal notices: Flat owners
The BAF even alleged that KSPCB officials were seeking bribes to settle the issue.
Bengaluru: The tussle between the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and Bengaluru Apartments’ Federation (BAF) over setting up waste processing units in older flats does not seem to end. The BAF has alleged that the pollution control board, in clear violation of union the environment ministry’s guidelines, has been issuing notices to apartment residents.
A senior KSPCB official said that the board is well within its purview to issue notices under the Air and Water Act. But the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change states, “No Consent to Establish and Operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 will be required from the State Pollution Control Boards for residential buildings up to 1,50,000 square meters.”
The BAF even alleged that KSPCB officials were seeking bribes to settle the issue. “MOEF has done away with the consent mechanism since it is used as a tool by enforcement agencies to harass people. It is disturbing that an enforcement agency whose main job is to uphold the law is flouting it and brazenly abusing its powers to illegally intimidate and threaten law-abiding citizens,” said Mr Srikanth Narasimhan, General Secretary, BAF.
He said that the KSPCB is going against the BBMP’s notice dated 2012, a copy of which is with Deccan Chronicle, which states that the apartments should either put up organic waste converters (OWCs) or dispose of segregated waste with authorised contractors, which the BAF claims to be doing ardently.
“They are pressuring older apartments to put up OWCs, which is not mandatory. Similarly, the board’s notice states that dual piping in apartments for reusing treated waste water is a must, but it is not mentioned in any law. The KSPCB is only out to harass apartment dwellers,” the BAF said.
The board is directing Bescom to cut electricity supply if the guidelines are not complied with. Last month, Bescom issued a notice to Vaishnavi Rathnam Apartments in Jalahalli saying the power connection would be cut.