Samsung faces Rs 15 lakh fine for dumping construction debris in Noida

A penalty of Rs 5 lakh has already been imposed on Samsung C&T in Noida Sector 81 for dumping construction debris at an unauthorised site in Sector 80.

Mobile phone manufacturing giant Samsung India, which has an office in Noida Sector 81, could face a penalty of Rs 15 lakh for illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste, based on the recommendation of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Noida regional office.

A penalty of Rs 5 lakh has already been imposed on Samsung C&T in Sector 81 for dumping construction debris at an unauthorised site in Sector 80.

Besides this, two more penalties of Rs 5 lakh each have also been recommended by the UPPCB against the Samsung, for dumping debris at a site near the Hindon river and for undertaking construction without taking preventive measures that led to dust pollution.

Officials said another penalty of Rs 10,000 was also slapped on the contractor transporting debris from the Samsung plant to an unauthorised dumping site without covering the trucks.

“We had received recommendations from the UPPCB’s Noida officer which had inspected the sites and noticed the violations. So far, we have imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Samsung C&T and an additional penalty of Rs 10,000 was slapped on the contractor carrying debris in open trucks,” Shailendra Mishra, city magistrate, Noida, said.

According to the UPPCB, upon getting apprised about the said violations, as reported by Hindustan Times on June 26, and complaints received from environment activist Vikrant Tongad, a team from its Noida office inspected the site and found three major violations against which three separate penalties of Rs 5 lakh each were recommended.

“The debris was being dumped at an unauthorised site at Sector 80 and at another site near Hindon river, for which penalty of Rs 5 lakh each was recommended against violators. Another violation was found at the Samsung office site, where a new factory unit was being constructed without taking proper preventive measures such as installing screens or curtains to curb the dust and coarser particles from flying. We have recommended three penalties against Samsung this month so far,” Anil Kumar Singh, regional officer, UPPCB, Noida, said.

The Samsung C&T did not reply or comment on the matter despite repeated attempts on phone and through email to reach them.

Source : Hindustan Times