Haryana: Air quality panel nod to run NCR industry on all 7 days

Mukesh Tandon

Panipat, February 6

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) has lifted the restriction on the operation of industries in the NCR and allowed operation for all seven days in view of the improvement in air quality in the National Capital Delhi.

Take to PNG, biofuel by Sept 30

Industries located in the NCR beyond the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi should, under all circumstances, completely switch over to PNG or biomass fuels up to September 30, failing which such units will be shut. Commission for Air Quality Management

The CAQM had, earlier, passed the order to shut industries for two days in a week in the NCR region. Though the CAQM’s order has given relief to the industrialists, it has also brought big tension to them. The CAQM, in its order, said the industries located in the NCR beyond the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) should, under all circumstances, completely switch over to the PNG or biomass fuels up to September 30 this year, failing which such industries would be closed down and not permitted to schedule their operations thereafter.

The CAQM also ordered that till such time the industries made transition to the PNG or biomass fuels, these can use only the approved fuels by the respective state governments for industrial operations.

The CAQM had passed the orders to shut industries for two days in a week and banned the running of diesel generator (DG) sets in the NCR in December last year due to severe level of air quality due to which industries in Sonepat, Panipat, Bahadurgarh, Gurugram and Faridabad were badly hit, while same situation was in the NCR areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Various organisations, industrial associations, manufacturing associations, Panipat Exporters associations, Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Panipat, Faridabad, Gurugram, Bahadurgarh and other states have also sent their representations to the CAQM to lift the ban on the operation of industries as these were forced to face a huge loss due to the curbs imposed by the CAQM on them.

Bheem Rana, president, Federation of Industrialists Associations and president, Panipat Dyers Association, said although the orders of the CAQM had brought big relief to the industries, these had also raised a big tension. It was not possible to switch over to the complete operation of industries on biomass fuels and the PNG, as it was too costly, he added. Industrialists in the NCR are fed up as it was not easy to run our own industries here, Rana rued.

Panipat is a manufacturing hub of textile products and has an annual turnover of Rs 15,000 crore in exports and over Rs 35,000 crore in the domestic market. As per records, there are around 500 dyeing units in Panipat, of which 75 have only the PNG and LPG connections.