The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has assessed an environment compensation of ₹4.8 crore for the improper management of construction and demolition waste following the controlled implosion of four high-rise buildings in Maradu on January 11, 2020.
The Southern Bench of the tribunal comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati had asked the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in February 2023 to recalculate the environment compensation after the regional office of the agency in Ernakulam submitted a report saying that the amount was zero as there were no lapses in the removal of the demolition waste.
In an updated report submitted on December 2, the KSPCB Chief Environmental Engineer, Ernakulam, informed the tribunal that steps would be taken to recover the compensation from the Maradu municipality under the provisions of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The CPCB, which had recalculated the environment compensation, found that the civic body had not complied with the entrusted responsibilities. The waste was sold to a private agency and the weekly log of conveyance prepared by the agency was the only document provided in support of the disposal claims. The municipality ignored its responsibility to transport the waste to sites or facilities for safe disposal or reprocessing as per the rules, it said.
The Central board stated that there were no records available with the municipality on the safe disposal or proper reprocessing of the waste as per the provisions of the rules. The entire quantity of waste (69,606 metric tonnes) may be considered as illegally disposed in violations of the provisions stipulated under Section (6) (duties of local authority) under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The CPCB also quoted the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India mentioning the lapses in the disposal of demolition waste. The ultimate disposal was not in tune with the norms, it said.
