KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Tuesday extended by eight weeks the time for payment of Rs100 crore which was imposed on the Kochi Corporation by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the wake of the Brahmapuram fire. The deadline for depositing the amount will expire on April 16.
The court issued the order on a petition filed by the Kochi Corporation challenging the NGT order. The court said that it would not stay the order but extend the payment period as the time stipulated by the NGT would expire on April 16. The court added the corporation has to discharge its statutory duties well. The court also said that it would pass further orders on the petition subject to the performance of its statutory duties.
While slapping the fine, the NGT had observed that good governance in the matter of waste management was being neglected for a long time to the detriment of the environment and public health and no one had taken moral responsibility for gross failure of rule of law, and damage to public health. The NGT passed the order while initiating suo motu proceedings in the light of media reports on the outbreak of fire.