2 days ago
PPCB imposes fresh environmental penalty on Jagraon civic body for solid waste violations
Chandigarh: In a renewed crackdown on persistent violations of environmental norms, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has directed the imposition of fresh environmental compensation on the Jagraon municipal council (MC).
This action cites its continued failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and non-implementation of earlier directives issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The fresh penalty comes even as a previously imposed environmental compensation of Rs 88 lakh—covering violations from April 1, 2021, to Dec 31, 2024 — remains partially unpaid. According to the PPCB, only Rs 20 lakh was deposited by the council so far, with the remaining Rs 59 lakh still pending.
In its compliance affidavit submitted to the NGT, the board confirmed that it directed its environmental engineer in Ludhiana to calculate additional environmental compensation for violations observed between Jan 1 and June 26, 2025.
The case began with a complaint highlighting the illegal dumping of municipal solid waste in a pond near Maa Bhadar Kali Temple in Jagraon and the pollution caused in the surrounding areas.
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Acting on this, the NGT, on Sept 19, 2024, ordered the council to clean the pond, remediate legacy waste, stop further dumping by Dec 31, 2024, and submit a compliance report by Jan 15, 2025. However, PPCB inspections revealed incomplete implementation.
During a site visit on June 18, 2025, PPCB found that while the pond was cleared using the Seechewal Model, the legacy waste excavated from the pond was dumped at an adjacent site where no scientific processing had begun.
Some plastic waste was also found scattered at the location. Based on these findings, PPCB issued a notice and conducted a hearing before its chairperson on June 26, 2025.
Following the hearing, the PPCB chairperson directed the immediate imposition of fresh environmental compensation and instructed Jagraon council to deposit the full outstanding amount without further delay. The council was ordered to begin the remediation of the waste removed from the pond and submit a progress report within seven days through the PPCB's regional office-III in Ludhiana.
The council was also asked to ensure full compliance with all 11 activities under Rule 22 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and submit a point-wise compliance report with target dates within a month. It was further directed to apply for the required authorisation under the rules, explore the use of vermi-composting techniques for wet waste, and submit a proposal accordingly.
In addition, the council was told to adopt waste reduction measures through Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (3R) initiatives, and to handle all types of waste in an environmentally sound manner.
The council was also instructed to regularly inspect and take action against violators of the ban on single-use plastics and against individuals found dumping or burning waste in open areas or water bodies.
To monitor compliance, PPCB's assistant environmental engineer from Ludhiana visited the site again on June 27 in the presence of the executive officer of the council. The inspection confirmed that all municipal solid waste was removed from the pond and that rejuvenation work under the Seechewal Model was completed. The total pond area is about seven acres—three acres were previously used as a dumping site, while the remaining four acres remain under semi-arid vegetation.
The legacy waste from the old dump site was processed, but the waste removed from the pond still lies at the old dump site, with no remediation started yet due to wet conditions caused by recent rains.
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