HYDERABAD: Putting an end to a 37-year-old case relating to pollution concerns in Patancheru area in Sangareddy district, the Southern bench of National Green Tribunal in Chennai on Tuesday directed the Telangana government to constitute a committee comprising the director of medical education, experts from the fields of infectious diseases and dermatologists for conducting a study on anti-microbial resistance in villages lying in the Manjeera river basin up to Nakkavagu.
The bench also directed the state government to establish a super speciality hospital for treating the occupational hazards of the villagers with 75 per cent of the expenditure to be contributed by industries and the remaining by the state. It, however, rejected the allegation that the industries were causing the anti-microbial resistance because of the pollution.
The bench passed this order on a batch of petitions filed over pollution in Patancheru. It also created Patancheru-Bolarum Environment Relief Fund contributed by the industries in the industrial hub.
Further, the bench directed the state to file status report once in six months, commencing on April 26, 2018 before the Registry of NGT, Chennai. It also permitted the State Pollution Control Board to consider the applications for expansion of the industry provided it satisfies that the expansion is for public good and it deposits one per cent of its annual turnover of the previous year for consideration of its application for expansion.
Besides, the bench directed the HMWSSB to continue to provide potable water to all the villages in the area till the lakes are remedied. The bench discharged the Jeedimetla Industrial Effluent Treatment Plant from the matter and directed the board to monitor its activities.
Mandatory obligations
The tribunal bench, in its judgment, recorded that compensation was paid per person at the rate of Rs 1,000 per acre of dryland and Rs 1,700 per acre of wet land till 2001-2002. It made it clear that its directions were in addition to the mandatory obligations of the industries as Corporate Social Responsibility under the Indian Companies Act.