Patna, May 19 (Hindustan Times). The reality behind the fine of Rs 4,000 crore imposed on the Bihar government by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on May 4 is the gross irregularities of the state government.
Between 2018 and April 2023, the NGT heard the Bihar case 118 times regarding the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rule. Ordered every time but only food was supplied by Bihar government. Out of 119 sewerage treatment plants in the state proposed under different schemes, eight have been completed so far. The work of 68 is still incomplete. 43 files are gathering dust in the tender process.
NGT has mandated to keep an amount of four thousand crores for solid and liquid waste management on the pretext of compensation. This amount has to be raised within two months. The NGT’s decision, on May 4, came after the submission of a compliance presentation by Chief Secretary Amir Subhani on May 3. This presentation itself is telling the story of the dangerous lateness of the government.
Despite the decision of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, due to the failure of the Bihar government in waste management, the NGT has asked to keep an amount of Rs 4,000 crore as compensation in a ring-fenced account. Ring fenced account is an account in which there is an obligation to spend the amount kept for a specific purpose (here waste management). The amount has been calculated on the basis of Rs 2 crore per million liters of untreated sewage. The amount of compensation has been fixed on the basis of 2,193 million liters of untreated sewage per day.
waste management statistics in bihar
Solid Waste: (in 141 municipalities), Garbage-5437 tonnes per day, Processing-1365 tonnes per day, Remaining waste-4072 tonnes per day, Sewage Management: (110 municipalities)
Sewage, 2371 million liters treated-178.83 million liters remaining sewage 2,193 million liters. These figures have been obtained from the data of the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar.
