Eight illegal metal scrap furnaces dismantled in Sonepat

A joint team of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the police on Wednesday night dismantled eight illegal earthen pit furnaces being used to melt metal scrap in the Ferozepur Banger area of Sonepat. The action was taken during a special drive ordered by Deputy Commissioner Sushil Kumar Sarwan.

The team, led by Anil Kumar, Assistant Environment Engineer (HSPCB), and ASI Harminder of Sonepat police, also seized a truck loaded with nearly two tonnes of unauthorised aluminium scrap, which was handed over to the DETC for further proceedings.

The crackdown comes at a time when the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has imposed GRAP Stage-3 restrictions due to worsening air quality in the NCR. Sonepat recorded an AQI of 310 on Thursday, falling in the “very poor” category for the 11th consecutive day, according to CPCB data.

Alongside dismantling the furnaces, the HSPCB team also sealed four illegal metal scrap units in Ferozepur Banger. These units were found operational without any Consent to Establish (CTE) or Consent to Operate (CTO), despite being identified during a joint HSPCB–CPCB raid in October on CAQM directions.

HSPCB Regional Officer Ajay Malik said the area’s proximity to the Delhi border has made it a hub for clandestine metal scrap melting. “People involved in the melting of metal scrap procured it illegally from the Delhi territory, and this is a prolonged issue of the operation of such illegal furnaces,” he said.

Warning of strict punitive action, Malik added: “No such illegal practice is allowed in the district, and action would be initiated against such violators. Similar raids will be conducted in night hours, and FIRs will also be lodged under the CAQM Act against labourers and owners.”

He also appealed to residents to stop enabling such operations. “Do not allow such practices on your land for the sake of your own children and nearby inhabitants. These units release cryogenic gases that are very harmful not only for human health but also for plants and crops,” he said.