Five illegal units operating in Bahadurgarh put on notice

In a major crackdown on industrial units violating environmental norms, a joint team of the State Environment Special Task Force (SESTF) has found five illegal factories operating in the Parnala area of Bahadurgarh subdivision in the district.

The inspection was conducted jointly by officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Bahadurgarh Municipal Council, Irrigation, Panchayati Raj and Police Departments and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), on Wednesday while acting on specific information about the operations of the units.

Shailendra Arora, Regional Officer, HSPCB, Bahadurgarh, said the team found four plastic washing and reprocessing units and one jeans dyeing unit running without the necessary environmental clearances. The inspection was carried out on Nizampur Road, where the units were found functioning during the raid, in clear violation of norms.

“The factories did not possess the Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) as required under environmental regulations. These approvals are essential for setting up and running any industrial activity, especially those that potentially pollute air, water, or soil. Effluent treatment plant (ETP) is mandatory for plastic reprocessing units. None of the units have the ETP. The liquid waste from factories was being released into stormwater drains directly,” he claimed.

Arora further maintained that taking serious note of the violations, all five units had been issued show-cause notices, directing them to submit their responses within three days. Their power connections would be disconnected, he said. Closure action would be recommended against all the units if they fail to file reply within the deadline, he added.

Over 10 days ago, the HSPCB had found six plastic melting and reprocessing units being illegally operated at Bamnoli village. The plastic was being melted and processed when the SESTF team raided units, following a specific input regarding the activity. These units too had neither CTE nor CTO.