NGT imposes green penalty on two fish processing units in Udyavara

It asks Coastal Zone Management Authority to reclaim CRZ land encroached upon by the industries

The National Green Tribunal has imposed ₹5,27,500 and ₹29,06,250 as environmental compensation on Hindustan Marine Industries and Yashaswi Fish Meal and Oil Company, respectively in Udyavara village, Udupi district, for violating environment laws.

NGT’s Southern Bench also directed the Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority to take steps for the removal of construction in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) of Papanashini (Udyavara) River by Yashaswi Fish Meal (11,626 sq mt out of a total of 22,106 sq mt) and by Hindustan Marine (1,445 sq mt out of 8,632 sq mt). The Tribunal also said the authorities were at liberty to initiate suitable proceedings against M/s Ocean Fresh Sea Food, M/s Coastal Sea Food and M/s Suha Sea Food functioning in Pithrody and letting effluents directly into the river. They were not party to the proceedings before the NGT.

Judicial Member K. Ramakrishnan and Expert Member Satyagopal Korlapati passed the order on a batch of original applications filed by Kishore Kumar and Harish Thingalaya of Pithrodi village near Udyavara. The applicants alleged that Hindustan, Yashaswi and M/s Unity Fish Meal and Oil Company, had been functioning in Pithrody on the bank of Udyavara River, that falls under CRZ-I illegally and causing severe nuisance to residents.

They alleged that the units were violating environmental laws and conducting activity dangerously affecting residents of Udyavara, Anagudde, Kote, Katapady, Manipura, Kuthpady and Kadekar villages. Applicants also claimed that the units were illegally discharging industrial effluent directly into the river that also affected marine life.

The Tribunal constituted a joint committee comprising representatives from the KSCZMA, Central Pollution Control Board, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Deputy Commissioner in October 2019 and submit a factual report. The Committee after a two-day inspection submitted the report stating that M/s Unity had closed down its operations in 2014 itself. The other two have set up effluent treatment plants and were using treated water for in-house purposes without letting it to the river.

However, they had encroached upon the CRZ-I land which was against the CRZ Notification, the Committee said. It also said the units were drawing groundwater without obtaining permission from the State Groundwater Authority nor they had installed meters for inward and outward water.