Set up effluent treatment plant in 6 months, errant slaughterhouse told

Taking a serious note of the unscientific ways of slaughtering at a corporation-run slaughterhouse in Bhiwandi, the National Green Tribunal has asked the contractor to install an effluent treatment plant (ETP) in six months. In case he fails to comply, the local municipality has been directed to forfeit his bank guarantee and assign the work to another agency at the cost of the errant contractor, who will also be made to pay escalation cost to the new agency.

The tribunal, however, did not take any action against the municipality after the commissioner of Bhiwandi Nijampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC), Jeevan Sonwane, himself took the responsibility to get the slaughterhouse fix the problem in the stipulated time.

"He (Sonwane) has taken personal responsibility to get the work executed. He has also undertaken personal responsibility to face the consequences if the work is not completed within the given time frame. Thus, he is confident of getting the work done, which shows that probably this work will not now be mere paper assurance, but the ball will start rolling. His affidavit further shows that he has given tabular information regarding the time frame in which the work will be carried out," reads the tribunal order passed on March 9.

The tribunal's order has come on the plea of Dharam Raj (27), a resident of Fort, who had sought immediate directions for shutting down the Idgah slaughterhouse. He had also urged the tribunal to direct the environment department to initiate legal action against the corporation for allowing it.

Raj had blamed the corporation for allowing the illegal functioning of the slaughterhouse for seven months now and, hence, demanded that a heavy cost be levied on the commissioner. In his appeal, Raj had said that the unscientific slaughtering at the site was an environmental hazard, which posed a threat to public health and spread foul smell in the entire vicinity. He claimed to have requested BNCMC officials concerned to deal with the problem and set up a modern and mechanised slaughterhouse, but his complaints remained unheeded. Hence, he moved the tribunal.

Even at the tribunal, BNCMC initially gave a negative response trying to hush up the matter but later the commissioner himself turned up and filed a personal affidavit.

"We direct that as far as possible, the work be carried out in accordance with the time frame mentioned in the affidavit of the municipal commissioner... The work shall be monitored by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on a monthly basis," the tribunal order said.