SHILLONG — A ₹20,000 penalty against RNB Cement (P) Ltd. and ₹12,500 against Riangdo Veneers Pvt. Ltd. has raised a larger question from the Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO): whether such penalties are enough to make established industries take pollution violations seriously.
In a memorandum to the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), HITO president Donbok Dkhar said environmental compensation should reflect the scale, duration and gravity of a violation, along with the actual cost of restoring the affected environment.
Dkhar said the “polluter pays” principle must account for the volume and toxicity of pollutants, ecological sensitivity, the scale of industrial operations and any history of repeated non-compliance.
HITO compared the two penalties with significantly higher compensation imposed in other cases, including ₹31.25 lakh linked to the Jowai Bypass, ₹26.25 lakh against the Shillong Municipal Board for solid-waste mismanagement and ₹15 lakh related to pollution along the Umngot River and Shillong-Dawki road project.
The organisation has called for a review of exceptionally low penalties and tougher action against repeat offenders, including closure notices, suspension or cancellation of consent to operate and criminal prosecution. It also wants the MSPCB to conduct surprise inspections, scientific monitoring of industrial effluents and emissions, and public disclosure of compliance and penalty records.
HITO has further demanded a dedicated mechanism to ensure environmental penalties are actually spent on the damage they are meant to address, including river rejuvenation, site remediation and pollution monitoring.
The organisation urged the MSPCB to take the proposal up with the Meghalaya government, Central Pollution Control Board and Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, putting the focus not only on how much polluters are fined, but where that money ultimately goes.
