Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 4:

As many as twenty hotels in Odisha's Puri will be sealed from Saturday for flouting pollution norms.

The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) had slapped closure notice on Tuesday for not obtaining mandatory 'consent to operate' approval.

The district administration today announced this with megaphones and directed the hotels to vacate the premises with immediate effect.

The 'consent to operate' clearance is granted by the OSPCB after verification of sanitation standards maintained by the hotels.

Notably, the OSPCB earlier on July 24 issued closure notice to 10 hotels operating along the Puri sea coast following orders from National Green tribunal (NGT).

According to reports, these hotels were allegedly operating without setting up their own water treatment plant. Besides, they are allegedly discharging the waste water into the sea.

Closure notices were served to these hotels previously and the owners had obtained a stay order from the Orissa High Court in the matter.