Pune, April 10 Four employees of the Pune Municipal Corporation were suspended on Friday after hundreds of dead fish were found in Pashan Lake, in Maharashtra's second-largest city.
PMC chief Naval Kishore Ram said he inspected Pashan Lake on Friday and found that a sewage treatment plant (STP) there was not functioning despite the agency regularly paying for its operation.
"There were lapses, and accordingly, action has been taken, as the environment and public health of the city are top priorities," Ram said, referring to the suspension of executive engineer Ajaykumar Dattatray Vayase, junior engineer Atul Kumar Kadu, both from the drainage maintenance and repair department, as well as sanitary inspectors Vinayak Chopde and Vijay Bhoir from the health department.
The non-functioning of the STP has led to the direct discharge of untreated sewage into the lake, resulting in severe water contamination and a foul odour, triggering a large number of fish deaths, the official said.
He added that chief engineer Jagdish Khanore of the drainage maintenance and repair department has been served a show cause notice in the case.
Ram said additional commissioner Pavneet Kaur has been directed to investigate the matter of the STP, while a notice has been issued to the consultant responsible for sewage water treatment.
"It has also been found that polluted water is being discharged from a couple of factories around the lake. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been asked to submit its report on the functioning of the Effluent Treatment Plant of the concerned factories," Ram said.