Beas eco-disaster: PPCB seals sugar mill, Rs 5-cr fine, staff in dock

Aman Sood 

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 24  

Finding lapses on part of the management of Chadha Sugar Industries in Kiri Afghana (Gurdaspur), the Punjab Pollution Control Board on Thursday ordered that the mill be “sealed” till further orders and a case be filed against it. It also slapped a fine of Rs 5 crore as “environmental compensation”, which, it claimed, was the highest ever in the state. 

  It said the fine (to be deposited with the PPCB) would be “utilised for the conservation and restoration” of Beas’ ecology. “An action plan shall be prepared by the Department of Forest and Wildlife, PPCB, PAU and GADVASU, spread over five years,” it added.  

Holding the mill management solely responsible for polluting the Beas, the PPCB ordered prosecution under Sections 43 and 44, read with Section 47 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. 

Giving an escape window to the owners, it said: “A criminal complaint shall be filed against the mill and persons who, at the time of the offence, were in charge and responsible for the conduct and business of the company...”

The two-page order, by PPCB chief KS Pannu, noted that pollution of the Beas on account of spillage of molasses had occurred because the mill management had not paid the required attention to safety measures. It also observed that any pressure/circumstances to crush more sugarcane than the mill capacity did not justify “storing additional molasses in an unscientific manner”, especially when the mill was located in a sensitive zone.

Test Sutlej, Beas, Buddha Nullah samples: NGT

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Thursday directed the Central Pollution Control Board and PPCB to conduct  tests to determine the quality of  water in the Beas, the Sutlej and the Buddha Nullah and submit a report within six weeks. Three AAP MLAs had on Wednesday jointly petitioned the tribunal. TNS