A senior PGI engineering wing officer said, "PGI has already allotted the work for ETP-cum-STP to CPWD for Rs 24 crore. (Representational)
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Days after the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) slapped a fine of Rs 5.63 crore each on GMCH-32, GMSH-16 and PGI for discharging untreated sewage into the drains of Municipal Corporation, the UT engineering wing claimed that the installation work of sewage treatment plant (STP) and effluent treatment plant (ETP) in GMCH-32 and GMSH-16 will be completed within next year.
Officials maintained that the construction work of STP is underway and a tender for the STP in GMSH-178 was floated. The UT engineering wing said that as the PGI is under the Central government, the premier health institute will take up the matter with the ministry concerned.
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A senior PGI engineering wing officer said, “PGI has already allotted the work for ETP-cum-STP to CPWD for Rs 24 crore. The CPWD further allotted the work to a private contractor. The work will take one year to complete.”
The UT chief engineer, C B Ojha, said, “The work of ETP-cum-STP in GMCH-32 has been going on. The work will be completed in August this year. President Draupadi Murmu had laid the foundation stone of these works in October 2022. The work is being done at a cost of Rs 8.40 crore. The tender for the construction of ETP-cum-STP at GMSH-16 was opened recently. We are sure that the construction work will be started and completed within one year.”
A committee of Home Secretary Nitin Kumar Yadav, Finance Secretary Vijay Namdeorao Zade and IFS Debendra Dalai was constituted in January this year. The committee is meant to ensure the implementation of guidelines of National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Home Secretary Yadav said, “We slapped the fine as per the environment rules and guidelines of NGT. These health institutes have a right to submit their replies before the committee. The committee will forward their replies to NGT. It depends upon the NGT to waive off the penalties or recover the fine from the three institutes.”
According to the CPCC, the GMCH-32 is discharging 1.5 million gallons of untreated water per day, the PGI is discharging 3.5 million gallons and the GMSH is discharging around 1 million gallons each day into the drains.
Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read More