In a bid to check the growing level of noise and air pollution, the district administration here has served show-cause notices on the managements of 28 government and private establishments for causing pollution in the town by running power generator sets without following the mandatory rules and regulations.
The alleged defaulters include branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, J&K Rural Bank, Bharat Petroleum, 15 restaurant owners, confectionaries and shopkeepers, besides two central government corporations.
The managements of the establishments have been charged with running the generator sets, emitting high degree of toxic gases and also creating noise pollution near Degree College, schools and in main bazaars of the town.
Informed sources said the show-cause notices were served following a representation received from Speak India Pollution Board-- a voluntarily organisation--- wherein it pleaded for checking the alarming rise in the pollution level in the town.
Taking cognizance, the district pollution officer and the executive officer, Municipal Corporation, Kathua, submitted a list of alleged defaulters to the District Magistrate, the sources said. It was pointed out that the alleged defaulters had not obtained the certificates from the Pollution Control Board nor were they permitted by the Municipal Corporation to operate these sets, causing high degree of noise, the sources added.
Confirming the issuance of the show-cause notices, an official of the district administration said the 28 establishments had been directed to submit their objections before November 5.
