Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) today snapped electricity and water supply to the government-run Panthanivas here for running without their approval.
In July last year, the board had served a showcause notice on the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), which manages the Panthanivas.
OSPCB regional officer (Bhubaneswar) Hadibandhu Panigrahi said the government agency did not respond to the showcause notice and did not appear for hearing either. "As a result, we served him the closure notice in December and snapped water supply and electricity today," said Panigrahi.
Board officials said the establishments concerned should furnish details of provisions for solid waste management and wastewater treatment while applying for a fresh consent to operate. "The establishment did not have any facility for wastewater treatment," said a senior board official. On the other hand, OTDC officials said they had on Thursday applied to the board for the same.
"We have also requested the board to give us some time to submit a proposal for wastewater treatment. We are also investigating into the circumstances that caused the delay in responding to the showcause notice. Action would also be initiated against officials if they are found responsible for the delay," said managing director of OTDC Nitin Bhanudas Jawale.
On Friday, the board had closed down Arya Palace and Nirmala Inn, both located at Ashok Nagar and Hotel Pelican at Bapuji Nagar, for similar violations.
The board had last year served showcause notices on as many as 83 hotels in the city for not obtaining approval from it. Later, those hotels were asked to appear for hearing and subsequently, the ones that did not appear before the board were served with closure notice.
Sources in the board said that out of the 83 hotels, 40 had obtained approval from the board while eight were slapped closure notices. The remaining hotels are undergoing the hearing process.
"We will continue to crack down on hotels operating without approval," said a senior OSPCB official.
