In a major clampdown while acting on the orders of the State High Court and the National Green Tribunal, the State Pollution Control Board has shut down seven hotels in Roorkee area and one in Haridwar near Shiv Murti for polluting Ganga through running illegal sewerage connections in defiance of the norms the board has laid down.
Giving details of the action, a regional official of the board Pradeep Kumar Joshi said that they had sealed seven hotels located in Roorkee -Polaris, Al Seagull, Sidharth Hotel, Anand Guest House, President Hotel, Highway Hotel and Vishal Hotel. This apart, a hotel in Haridwar Shiva Hotel near Shiv Murti has been sealed too. Power connections of these hotels have been cut, he said, adding that the action had followed the owners of these hotels having failed to comply with the norms the board has laid down for them. Besides, these hotels were not duly registered with the Pollution Control Board and were operating sans the required NOC, he said.
Notably, acting on the orders of the High Court based on a public interest litigation, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board along with the Nagar Nigam had slapped notice on 79 hotels on March 23, charging them with polluting the Ganga by directly draining their waste water in the river through illegal sewerage connections. Besides, they gave the owners 24 hours to comply with the norm or else face action.
It is learnt that 125 such hotels and dharmashalas are the under the scanner of the authorities and action might follow any time for those which are still operational after the recent crackdown on eight such hotels and lodges.