Illegal kilns burning industrial waste on Rajasthan-Haryana border, National Green Tribunal told

The inspection report highlighted the following:

• When residents of Nurpur village in Tauru, Haryana, were contacted to enquire about the illegal kilns operating in the area, they revealed that illegal kilns were being operated on the Rajasthan-Haryana border.
• Illegal crucibles were found in the border villages of Udhanwas (Rajasthan) and Nurpur (Haryana) during the inspection by officials of the pollution control board on April 25.
• Locals informed the officials that the kilns operated late at night.
• A large quantity of waste rubber cuttings or plastic sheet cuttings of automobiles were found in the area. This waste is melted in crucibles and the material is left under the sun drying.
• The material is transported to other locations for grinding, after which the ground material is used as fuel by the brick kilns along with cuttings, sheets.

According to the affidavit, the pollution board team found that the brick kilns were operating without valid consent. Its report relied in part on local intelligence that alleged the industrial waste being burned originated from the Manesar and Gurugram industrial clusters in Haryana.

While the source of the waste is still under investigation, its hazardous nature raises red flags for regulatory agencies.

The pollution board further noted that the kilns were engaged in unpermitted combustion activities, including burning industrial sludge and rubber-based waste—materials known to emit toxic pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and volatile organic compounds.

The Aravalli region is a notified ecologically sensitive zone, and illegal industrial activity poses a dual threat—both to air quality and to ecological degradation.