NGT cracks down on illegal bleaching units in Panipat

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of a The Tribune news report highlighting grave environmental violations by illegal bleaching units operating in Panipat district. The Principal Bench of the NGT, led by chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, has issued notices to multiple government agencies, seeking a detailed response.

The NGT cited The Tribune’s May 14 news report titled “Panipat’s illegal bleaching units pollute land, waterways”, which exposed how unauthorised bleaching operations were discharging untreated, chemical-laced wastewater into open lands and drains, violating key environmental laws.

“This article relates to an environmental problem in Panipat, where many illegal bleaching units are polluting the land and water,” noted the NGT Bench in its May 23 order. The tribunal said the issue appeared to attract provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Notices have been served to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Haryana Water Resources Authority, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, and the Deputy Commissioner, Panipat. The agencies have been asked to file their replies through affidavits at least one week prior to the next hearing, scheduled for August 29.

The Tribune report had revealed that 32 illegal units were recently identified by HSPCB, most operating on agricultural land in villages such as Naultha, Dahar, Binjhol and others — discharging untreated effluents that eventually reach the Yamuna. Most of these bleaching houses were functioning without the mandatory Consent to Operate (CTO) or Consent to Establish (CTE), in clear violation of environmental norms.