OSPCB serves showcause to 24 big hotels in Puri

Puri, Jul 20 (UNI) The Orissa State Pollution Control Board(OSPCB) has issued show cause notices to 24 big and star hotels of Puri beach releasing untreated waste water into the beach causing serious pollution.

The Board in its notice under section 33-A of water pollution, prevention and control Act has asked these hotels as as to why their units would not be closed.

The OSPCB and the environment department swung into action after Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik took serious note of the allegations leveled by environment activist Jagannath Bastia in the final Rath Yatra meeting.

The Chief Minister castigated the role of the concerned departments for not taking appropriate action against the pollutant unit and directed the officials to take steps to keep the beach pollution free.

Following the Chief Minister's directive OSPCB Chairman Dr Lalitnarayan Patinak along with a team of experts made an individual assessment of the hotels located along the beach.

The team found that most of the hotels were flouting the norms of water pollution prevention act. The samples taken by the scientists confirmed that their untreated waste water was beyond the prescribed standard.

The experts also detected that some of the hotels had installed their septic tanks and soak pits in the public road and in the beach.

The board had informed the district administration and the local civic body about the punitive measures it intended to take against the pollutant hotels.

UNI XC DP SJC MIR DB2030