A standoff has emerged between the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Andhra Pradesh (HRAAP) over the environmental classification of the hospitality sector.
While the APPSB has begun cracking down on non-compliance, hoteliers are questioning the scientific basis of labelling them as “high-risk” polluters.
The conflict has intensified with the APPCB recently issuing notices to numerous hotels for failing to install the mandated wastewater treatment plants as per the guidelines.
According to a regional environmental official, the compliance rate in the city remains dismal.
“Hardly 20 to 25 hotels, with above 20 beds, mostly star hotels, in Visakhapatnam have complied with the norms such as installing treatment plants. We have issued notices to the remaining to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines,” APPCB environmental engineer P.V. Mukunda Rao told The Hindu.
