New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has upheld the conviction of a sweet shop owner for discharging effluent generated from washing of floor and dishes/containers into the public sewer without any treatment, saying small establishments cannot be absolved merely on the ground of size or scale of operation.
Underscoring the “serious long-lasting consequences” of polluting water bodies, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asserted that small eateries, restaurants and food processing units collectively contributed significantly to pollution by discharging untreated effluents into public sewers and drains leading to rivers.
Compliance with environmental norms, the judge said, was a responsibility shared by all.
The trial court had, in 2017, convicted the petitioner, who owns a sweet shop in Chandani Chowk, for the offence under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act for disposing polluting matter into the sewer.
However, considering that the petitioner was about 59 years of age, the offence dated back to 2000 and imprisonment had been done away with in the Water Act by the legislature, the court set aside the sentence of imprisonment of two years.
It nonetheless directed the owner to pay a further fine of Rs 10 lakh, in addition to an earlier imposed fine of Rs 2 lakh by the trial court, to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) within two months and undertake plantation of 100 trees in coordination with the city forest department in and around Chandni Chowk area or any other location to be identified by the department.
In June 2000, an industrial unit, M/s Kanwarji Raj Kumar, was found to be running without any facility for the treatment of trade effluent generated by it.
The trade effluent generated during the process of washing of sweets and namkeen preparation moulds, dishes, containers, and floor cleaning was allegedly being discharged without any treatment into the public sewer.
It was alleged that the owner of the unit was operating it without obtaining the requisite consent as mandated under the Water Act. PTI ADS KVK KVK
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