Pollution Control Board to close down the food court at Huda City Centre soon

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) is reportedly going to close down the food court at the Huda City Centre Metro station soon, as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has not yet submitted any compliance report on the steps taken to check pollution from discharged waste water, despite multiple reminders.

The pollution body, in December last year, had sent a notice to DMRC for discharging pollutants into waste water released by about 30 restaurants in the food court of Huda City Centre Metro station. And in March this year, the pollution board had sent a closure notice to DMRC after it found that the two sewage treatment plants (STPs) at the food court were not functioning properly and the level of pollutants in waste water was above permissible limits.

A senior HSPCB said, "We had sent a final notice last month, requesting them to submit a compliance report within 15 days. However, till now, no report has been submitted by the DMRC. It has been a year now that we have been sending the corporation constant reminders and notices to comply with the norms and also requesting them to send a compliance report. We now have no other option but to close down the food court soon."

The BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) levels, were also recorded at 125 and 304, respectively in the STP outlet. The BOD and COD levels should be below 30 and 250, respectively. The officials also found that oil and grease level in the treated waste water was 11, while it should not exceed 10.

Commenting on the latest development, an official spokesperson for DMRC said, "The STPs have been renovated and are working properly. At present, the performance of the STP is being tested and the compliance report will be sent shortly."