CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s East Zone Bench in Kolkata has directed the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) ) to recover Rs 1.20 crore environmental compensation (EC) from a contractor engaged in construction of earth bed for the Bhadrak-Nirgundi third line railway project for illegal extraction and utilising of morrum.
The bench comprising B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) in a recent order asked OSPCB to take action for recovery of the assessed compensation in accordance with law after giving full opportunity of hearing to the contractor.
The bench passed the order after a committee recommended imposition of environmental compensation for illegal extraction of morrum and utilising it in the project work.
The tribunal had constituted the committee to ascertain veracity of allegations of illegal extraction of minor minerals in Tangi-Choudwar tehsil area. A petition was filed by Srikant Kumar Pakal and three other residents of the area.
The contractor took the plea that many other parties who were engaged by the Railway over a period of time to construct the same work - Bhadrak-Nergundi third line project had used the same methods, but only his name was singled out. But the bench said that the enquiry report said that the firm was a habitual offender in the matter of illegal excavation of earth and morrum for use in project construction.