NGT directs Karnataka to pay Rs 2,900 cr as compensation for mishandling waste

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) rapped the Karnataka government and directed it to pay Rs 2,900 crore as environmental compensation for alleged improper management of solid and liquid waste.

The tribunal headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the steps taken by Karnataka for waste management were “inadequate” and called for overhauling its approach by setting up a centralised single-window agency to deal with the issue.

Though the total compensation comes to Rs 3,396 crore, as the NGT had earlier imposed a fine of Rs 500 crore for the improper management of Chandapura lake in Anekal taluk, the state has to pay Rs 2,900 crore, the order said.

The NGT said the amount should be deposited by Karnataka in a separate account within two months and should be operated as per directions of the chief secretary and utilised for restoration measures, preferably within six months.

The chief secretary, the order stated, has to evolve a mechanism for planning, execution and oversight of programmes for remedial action within one month and file a progress report on waste management every six months.

The green tribunal said compensation had become necessary as merely passing orders had "not shown any tangible results in the last eight years (solid waste management) and five years (liquid waste management), even after expiry of statutory/laid down timelines".

The gap in the generation and scientific handling of solid and liquid waste had resulted in damage to the environment and public health, the bench said.

The tribunal also directed the state to maintain sources of clean water free from sewage and sought the fencing of legacy waste dump sites as per rules.