Cuttack, June 8: Orissa High Court today issued a stay order on the Odisha State Pollution Control Board's (OSPCB) directive of imposing penalty on hotels in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for violating norms.

The vacation court issued the interim stay order while taking up for analogous hearing petitions filed by more than 35 hotels.

The pollution control board had claimed that the order was issued after National Green Tribunal made it mandatory for hotels to abide by its rules.

The hotels operating with consent of the pollution watchdog were expected to renew it on or before August 6, 2015.

Accordingly, OSPCB had imposed the penalty in May and warned that the hotels would be sealed if the penalties were not paid by June 10. Over 35 hotels had challenged the order., subject to outcome of the case The hotels having more than 20 rooms were asked to cough up Rs 5 lakh and hotels with 10 to 20 rooms Rs 3 lakh. Hotels, which were operating without consent, had been asked to pay Rs 4 lakh fine.SPCB had claimed that the NGT had issued direction to take pollution charge from the hotels not seeking consent to operate and polluting by discharging waste water of toilets and kitchen.

According to pollution control norms, the hotels come under pollution watch as they generate wastewater and those having more than 20 rooms should also set up effluent treatment plant to treat wastewater before release.