Environment gets top priority at IPCL

VADODARA, June 7: District Collector Anil G Mukim put into action a multi-purpose solid waste incinerator at the Vadodara complex of the Ind...

VADODARA, June 7: District Collector Anil G Mukim put into action a multi-purpose solid waste incinerator at the Vadodara complex of the Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd IPCL, at the World Environment Day celebrations on Friday, jointly organised by IPCL and Gujarat Pollution Control Board GPCB. IPCL Chairman and Managing Director K G Ramanathan also unveiled the corporate environment policy towards obtaining ISO 14000 certification on the occasion.

The district collector highlighted the collective role of regulatory bodies, NGOs, scientists, society and industries in mitigating the effects of pollution.

Declaring the corporate environment policy, Ramanathan reiterated IPCL8217;s commitment to the preservation of environment and compliance of statutory norms. Production should not be at the cost of environment degradation and development must be sustainable to mankind, he announced. He also emphasised the need to abate pollution at its source, resource recovery and recycling of natural resources.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd GIPCL undertook sapling plantation in the city to observe the World Environment Day. Participants in the celebrations also pledged to protect and safeguard the environment. The GIPCL will distribute almost 5,000 saplings this year, according to a press statement of the company.

At Gujarat Refinery, Mukim inaugurated an exhibition of 8220;Environment collages8221; put up to mark the occasion. He emphasised the need of peaceful co-existence of developmental process with the environment.

In his address, executive director of Gujarat Refinery P S Rao gave an account of environmental management activities at the refinery. He said various arrangements pertaining to air, water and solid waste pollution were found to be meeting the international standards and hence the refinery was given the ISO-14001 certification by the DNV, Netherlands.

A number of new schemes were under implementation to further improve environmental management, he said, adding that there were 2 lakh trees in and around the refinery.

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At Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited, its managing director Gurcharan Singh gave away prizes to the winners of the slogan competition organised recently. He assured that the management would extend all possible help to implement suggestions made by the employees to keep the environment clean.

Officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board GPCB, director of the company C N Mehta, executive director M H Mehta and others also spoke on the occasion.

Various programmes like on-the-spot painting competition, exhibition and sapling plantation drives were organised with the support of the GPCB.