Shillong: HITO is demanding the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board hike fines for industries that break environmental rules. The group argues that current, nominal penalties do nothing to stop repeat offenders from poisoning local land and water. HITO president Donbok Dkhar handed a formal memo to the board chairman this Tuesday.
The group pointed to pathetic fines as proof of weak enforcement. Officials recently charged RNB Cement (P) Ltd. only 20,000 rupees and hit Riangdo Veneers Pvt. Ltd. with a measly 12,500 rupees. HITO believes these numbers are a joke. Dkhar warned that cleanup costs often reach into the crores for the public to pay.
"Environmental pollution is not merely a technical violation," Dkhar said. He wants the board to use a polluter pays model that scales costs based on toxicity, operational size, and the history of the company. The organization noted that authorities have previously demanded much higher sums in other cases, such as the 31.25 lakh rupees linked to the Jowai Bypass or the 26.25 lakh rupees charged to the Shillong Municipal Board for waste mismanagement.
HITO wants the board to ramp up the pressure. They requested surprise inspections, public records of compliance, and real monitoring of all industrial waste. The group also pushed for a system to funnel fine money directly into cleaning up rivers and fixing damaged sites. They want the board to talk to the state government, the Central Pollution Control Board, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to get this done. If companies keep breaking the rules, HITO says the state must issue closure notices or pursue criminal charges.
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