Tribunal keeps Munnar's polluting hotels closed

Kochi: The Munnar special tribunal has refused to quash the order issued by the Munnar panchayat to seven resorts to close operations for polluting the water bodies in the ecologically fragile Munnar town. The tribunal passed the orders on Tuesday on a petition filed by Green Ridge Holiday Home challenging the order issued by the panchayat secretary.

The panchayat had last week issued notices to seven hotels — Sujatha Inn, Silver Tips, Green Ridge Holiday Home, Bellmount Resorts, High Range Inn, Tea Garden Inn and Red Sparrow — asking them to close their operations immediately after its inspections unearthed pipes carrying waste including septage to the Muthirappuzha river.

The resort contended that it was not responsible for the water pollution and that panchayat was willfully trying to harass it. The panchayat, however, said it was very well within its powers to take action against polluters of water bodies.

“We told the tribunal that we followed the law to its minute details,” J. Madhuso-odanan Unnithan, panchayat secretary told this newspaper. “We had issued the resorts a notice asking them to take steps to process the waste on their own premises to stop polluting the water bodies. We sent the closure notices only when they refused to even acknowledge the notice.” The panchayat also produced documents to support its position, he said.