Pollution control board proceeds against violating units

CHANDIGARH, May 31: In a major crackdown, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board HSPCB has come down heavily on half-a-dozen large priv...

CHANDIGARH, May 31: In a major crackdown, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board HSPCB has come down heavily on half-a-dozen large private sector companies and state-owned cooperative sugar mills in the last three-four months for alleged violations of the pollution control norms.

Environment Department sources said the Pollution Control Board launched prosecution proceedings against these firms 8211; Saraswati Sugar Mills, Bharat Starch, Haryana Distillery all based in Yamuna Nagar, and two units of Panipat Cooperative Sugar Mill 8211; in April for alleged violation of the pollution control norms.

Under the provisions, prosecution proceedings are initiated against company and its directors for such violations.

Last month, the board also decided to prosecute another Yamuna Nagar-based Ballarpur Paper Mills, but the company has got a stay from the court.In a status report, the department said the companies had been refused consent for 1997-98 by the pollution board after it found that they were not complying with the norms.

The prosecution proceedings against Saraswati Sugar Mills, among the largest mills in Northern India, have been initiated for allegedly discharging partially treated effluents into the Western Yamuna Canal. While the company has installed an effluent treatment plant ETP based on sludge process, it has been found to be 8220;inefficient8221;. In fact, the bio-chemical oxygen demand BOD level of the samples drawn by the board proved this, it said.

Later, Bharat Starch and Ballarpur Paper were issued showcause notices for the inadequate secondary and tertiary effluent treatment plants and allegedly discharging their effluent into Western Yamuna Canal without prior permission from the Irrigation Department. 8220;The two companies are expected to achieve the prescribed effluent quality as their treatment plants are under stabilisation,8221; according to senior pollution board officials

.Similarly, prosecutions proceedings have been initiated against Haryana Distillery and the two units of Panipat Cooperative Sugar Mill as the samples collected by the board have exceeded parameters. HSPCB has informed the Central Pollution Control Board, which has sought even more stringent standards.

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While the move to initiate action against large and medium firms has shaken the industry, board officials point out that the polluting firms had failed to improve the quality of effluent in spite of repeated warnings. 8220;The polluting firms have been having a great time for the last few years as offenders have managed to either get undeserving consent or deemed consent by just paying people to keep their cases undecided,8221; they said.

However, industry associations are up in arms against the tough measures and have represented their case to the government.

Last year, the board detected and initiated action against 1,070 polluting units Panipat, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Ambala and Faridabad as a part of its drive to contain industrial pollution in Yamuna and Western Yamuna Canal.