Panel to inspect 8 erring units again

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 9

The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has formed a committee to inspect eight erring industrial units yet again and review their treatment plants after their working was not found satisfactory by a joint committee of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which inspected their premises in October.

The orders issued on December 3 by the Member Secretary, SPCB, had directed the Superintending Engineer, Baddi, to constitute this committee, where an SDO and a Scientific Officer had been assigned the task of inspecting these units lying in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area and submit a point-wise detailed report addressing various issues pertaining to pollution control parameters and its compliance.

These units had earlier been issued show-cause notices on October 16 after their pollution-related parameters were found lacking by a joint committee constituted by the NGT comprising Deputy Commissioner, member secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board and SPCB, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health Department and Deputy CEO of Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Industrial Development Authority.

A report on the actual pollution levels, compliance of emission standards and other issues pertaining to water pollution had been presented before the NGT after this visit and it also included a report on issues, including dumping of fly ash, waste disposal plants, etc., operative in the state’s industrial belt of BBN.

Various pharmaceutical units, a battery manufacturing unit, paper unit, chemical unit, etc., figure in the list and their pollution compliance was now under scanner.

Though some of these units had already initiated the process to upgrade their pollution mitigation systems, compliance was yet to be termed satisfactory following which these units would now be re-examined.

These units had come under the NGT scanner after a petitioner had alleged that not only was the sludge of the industrial units being dumped callously on roadsides, but Sirsa river had also been converted into a drain of various industrial effluents.

Member Secretary SPCB Vineet Kumar said they would ensure compliance of all pollution-related parameters and regular monitoring of erring units was underway where apart from local teams, special teams from Shimla would also monitor their working.

Adopting a strict posture on the units violating pollution norms the NGT has already directed these units to comply with the requisite norms or else face closure of their units by December 15 in its latest orders issued recently.