656 industrial units shut for harming environment

To combat environmental degradation caused by various factors, the government of Jammu and Kashmir issued closure orders against 656 industrial units since last year.

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In response to a query by MLA Mubarak Gul in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, the government stated that 564 closure orders were issued against defaulting units in 2024, while 92 closure orders have been issued so far this year. Additionally, 75 complaints have been filed in court during 2024-2025.

Javed Ahmed Rana, Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment, informed the Assembly that several laws regulate environmental degradation resulting from urbanisation, industrialisation and expansion activities. These include the Environmental Protection Act/Rules, 1986, the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Responding to a query regarding the diversion of large tracts of land for railway tracks, highways, and infrastructure development, the department stated that 6,948.08 hectares of forest land were diverted for infrastructure projects up to October 31, 2019, under the J&K Forest Conservation Act, 1997. Since November 1, 2019, an additional 459.32 hectares have been diverted under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. The majority of this land has been used for road construction, including national highways, followed by railway projects.

The department emphasised that industrial units must comply with environmental standards regarding effluent discharge, emissions and waste generation.

To raise public awareness, various activities under the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiative are conducted regularly to combat environmental degradation. The department also noted that while processing forest clearance cases for development projects through the PARIVESH portal, strict measures are taken to minimise forest land use.

In hilly areas prone to landslides, the department is implementing slope stabilisation measures such as constructing retaining walls, improving drainage systems to prevent soil erosion.