The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has asked Viswa-Bharati to explain why the university will not be charged Rs 10 lakh as compensation for its alleged failure to comply with several environment parameters during the four-day Pous Mela last week.
The fine will be charged if the university does not respond appropriately to the showcause issued on Tuesday.
“We will study the PCB order in detail and then decide our future course of action,” said Anirban Sircar, a senior official of Viswa-Bharati.
PCB member-secretary Rajesh Kumar said Viswa-Bharati would face more stringent action if it continued to neglect proper solid and liquid waste management in its compound as directed by the NGT.
“The officials of state board inspected the Pous Mela on December 24 and 25. During inspection, several non-compliance were observed,” said a PCB official.
The inspection at the directive of the National Green Tribunal allegedly found out that a number of food stalls were using coal-fired ovens, there were insufficient number of toilets and bio-toilets and the venue lacked proper sanitation or cleanliness. The PCB also said there were not enough fire extinguishers at stalls. The dust pollution, which was a major issue till last year, could be controlled to a large extent as water was sprinkled on the ground regularly.
