The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has asked Viswa-Bharati to explain why the university will not be charged Rs 10 lakh as compensation for its alleged failure to comply with several environment parameters during the four-day Pous Mela last week. The fine will be charged if the university does not respond appropriately to the showcause issued on Tuesday. “We will study the PCB order in detail and then decide our future course of action,” said Anirban Sircar, a senior official of Viswa-Bharati. “The officials of state board inspected the Pous Mela on December 24 and 25. The dust pollution, which was a major issue till last year, could be controlled to a large extent as water was sprinkled on the ground regularly.

Source: The Telegraph December 31, 2019 19:30 UTC