KOLHAPUR: National Green Tribunal ( NGT ) on Wednesday slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for failing to stop pollution of the famous Rankala Lake The penalty was imposed during a hearing of a petition filed by activist Sunil Kemble. The court asked both agencies to deposit the 'environment compensation' amount with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within 15 days.Also, the tribunal has asked KMC to deposit performance guarantee of Rs 50 lakh to comply with works proposed to stop pollution of the lake. TOI has accessed details of the order issued by the NGT, which will be up on the NGT website by Thursday morning.RK Patil, deputy engineer of KMC who attended the hearing on behalf of KMC said, "During last hearing we submitted details of works being undertaken to stop pollution. However, those details did not come up in the tribunal's hearing. We are going to present details of compliance in the next hearing and request NGT to not impose a fine on KMC. Works like commissioning sewage treatment plant and diversion of nullahs have been completed. Works of laying underground drainage network is underway, and will take about a year to finish."Kemble, in his petition, said KMC failed to address pollution of the lake, which is spread over 200 acres. The officials claim that since diversion of nullahs through which sewage entered the lake, there has been significant decline in pollution levels. KMC gets the lake water samples tested regularly. And these tests show that the water quality has improved. Also, KMC has made it mandatory for the STP operator to ensure that waste water entering the lake is treated, as per environmental standards, before being released into River Panchaganga.Kemble said, "The directions were important, considering the apathy of the civic administration towards the issue of pollution. Several steps have been taken after the petition was filed two years ago. However the efforts need to be speeded up to ensure the lake is permanently saved."MPCB officials were not available for comment.

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