MUSSOORIE: The Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UPCB) has issued fresh notices to 49 hotels in Mussoorie for running without valid consent to operate and slapped penalties ranging from a few lakhs to Rs 50 lakh for environmental violations on them.
The move follows the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) directive to reassess earlier penalties and impose fines from the date of the breach.
Of the 49 hotels, 34 were operating without consent from UPCB. This includes hotels that began operations before Dec 2019 or after but failed to secure necessary approvals. Another 15 hotels, which obtained consent to operate earlier, were fined for not renewing their permissions. "The total penalty imposed on the 49 hotels exceeds Rs 8 crore," Parag Madhukar Dhakate, UPCB's member secretary, told TOI.
These hotels were penalised earlier this year for similar violations. However, UPCB confirmed that fines paid previously will be deducted from the revised penalties. Dhakate said, "The NGT directed us to reassess the penalties for these hotels."
Hoteliers have raised objections to the fresh notices. "We already paid the fines imposed earlier this year. We fail to understand why additional fines are being levied," a hotelier, requesting anonymity. said.
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