Pollution board extends deadline till June 30

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, March 24

The deadline for making online monitoring of various pollution-related parameters mandatory has been extended till June 30 from the earlier March 31 for 17 categories of hazardous waste-emitting industries.

This has come as a relief to 16 such industrial units which fall under this ambit and have been in the process of installing specific equipments to facilitate online monitoring of air and water pollution-related parameters.

Since the installation of such devices costs nearly Rs 10 lakh for a single unit, investors have been dithering over the issue.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has made this a mandatory procedure as it was found that air and water pollution emanating from such units was causing widespread air and water pollution due to laxity in regulation and failure of such units in running such devices for 24 hours.

Though measures such as interlocking of energy meters with pollution-control devices were introduced, it failed to contain pollution from such units and treatment plants failed to be operated all time.

A study conducted by the Environment Department had earlier pointed out that cement plants in Himachal contribute maximum to emissions of green house gases (GHG) which deplete the ozone layer while chemical, bulk and paper industries contribute significantly to water pollution.

Member Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board Vineet Kumar, while confirming the development, said they have already instructed the industrial units concerned (cement, paper, chemical, bulk drugs, etc.) to comply with the directions failing which they would be compelled to take action as per the directions of the CPCB.

While cement units comprising ACC, Ambuja Cements Ltd and Jaypee Associates Ltd had complied with the directions by putting in place such equipments other units such as paper unit, pharmaceutical unit, hazardous waste management plant, etc, were yet to work out on its modalities.

The extension of the deadline from March 31 to June 30 has come as a big relief and managements of such plants which were earlier making hectic inquires about purchasing such equipments had now become lax.

Online monitoring once introduced in the hazardous waste-emitting industrial units would be synchronised with the Central Pollution Control Board and this would enable real-time monitoring of water and air-related parameters, while keeping vigil on erring industrial units.