The National Green Tribunal has decided to slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on airlines that empty its waste tanks mid air. The NGT has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to issue a circular to all airlines asking them to pay fine as compensation if their planes violated the direction.
The NGT issued the direction while hearing a plea of a retired Army officer, who had alleged dumping of human excreta by planes around the residential areas near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The petitioner termed the act as a violation of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
The NGT asked the DGCA to set up a helpline for similar complaints to be addressed.
Said Union Minister of State for Environment Anil Madhav Dave to THE WEEK, “No airline should commit such mistakes. This is morally wrong. I hope the order would be strictly implemented. I am on an official tour. Once I am back in Delhi, my ministry would initiate action against the offenders.”
Planes, generally, store the human wastes in special tanks, and the crew dispose them of once the plane lands. But, in rare instances and in emergencies, these tanks are emptied in mid-air. There are also cases of toilet leaks occurring in the air.
Chemicals are added to the toilets in planes to reduce odour and break down the human wastes.
