24 yrs later,GIDA agrees to set up CETP

“The GIDA had asked Dr Govind Pandey of Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College,Gorakhpur,to prepare the feasibility report in 2011-12. The report came a few days back and has recommended that CETP should be established because the discharge from the industries in the region is much above the permissible limit,” he said.

Earlier this week a consensus to establish the CETP was reached at during a meeting between GIDA and state pollution control board (PCB) officials and members of the industries.

“The matter will now be presented before the GIDA board,which will send it to the state government for approval,” said Tripathi.

The cost of running the plant,the CEO said,will be shared by state and the central governments.

“Once finances are clear,the unit can be set up within a year,” he said,adding this will be the first CETP of GIDA in over 20 years.

The environmentalists say the CETP should have been established much earlier. “CETP was a part of the norms to set up GIDA,which was established between 1989 and 1991.

However,it has taken the authorities 24 years to adopt the norm even as the environmental conditions in the area and that of river Ami have been deteriorating,” said Vishwavijay Singh,environment activist and president of Ami Bachao Andolan.