Mumbai: Almost a year after the MSC Chitra's collision with the ship Khalijia, the MV Rak that sank off the coast of Mumbai last week has leaked about 100 tonnes of oil. Even as the Environment Minister has said that there is nothing to worry about, some experts disagree. The question is who will pay for the clean up.
An RTI filed by CNN-IBN has found that Rs 1.2 crore were given by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to four district collectors, NEERI and NIO for cleaning operations on land post the Chitra spillage. The equipment and the manpower of the MPCB used took the total figure up to Rs 3 crore. The state government asked owners of the polluting ship MSC Chitra to pay the amount. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the final amount spent by the government on the clean up is between Rs 7-8 crore.
This happened even as organisations like TERI and NCC worked for free, but the owners of MSC Chitra have paid only Rs 1 crore so far.
Environmentalists say that it is not tougher laws but better implementation that is required.
Environmentalist Debi Goenka said, "As far as the MOEF is concerned, they have lots of laws, they make lots of notifications, they issue all kind of clearences. But when it comes to implementation of the condition, implementation of the laws, the track record is pathetic. We have to keep on getting court orders, forcing the Environment Ministry to take action."
As the MV RAK clean up has begun, the expenses have begun to mount.
Environment Secretary Valsa Nair Singh said, "We have already sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to the BMC and coastal districts."
But the question is whether this amount will be recovered from the polluter and whether hefty fines will ever be imposed and collected from polluters that environmentalists say could be the only deterrents in such cases.
An RTI filed by CNN-IBN has found that Rs 1.2 crore were given by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to four district collectors, NEERI and NIO for cleaning operations on land post the Chitra spillage. The equipment and the manpower of the MPCB used took the total figure up to Rs 3 crore. The state government asked owners of the polluting ship MSC Chitra to pay the amount. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the final amount spent by the government on the clean up is between Rs 7-8 crore.
This happened even as organisations like TERI and NCC worked for free, but the owners of MSC Chitra have paid only Rs 1 crore so far.
Environmentalists say that it is not tougher laws but better implementation that is required.
Environmentalist Debi Goenka said, "As far as the MOEF is concerned, they have lots of laws, they make lots of notifications, they issue all kind of clearences. But when it comes to implementation of the condition, implementation of the laws, the track record is pathetic. We have to keep on getting court orders, forcing the Environment Ministry to take action."
As the MV RAK clean up has begun, the expenses have begun to mount.
Environment Secretary Valsa Nair Singh said, "We have already sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to the BMC and coastal districts."
But the question is whether this amount will be recovered from the polluter and whether hefty fines will ever be imposed and collected from polluters that environmentalists say could be the only deterrents in such cases.
