Lok Sabha Question No. 3695 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-12
Subject: Protection of Agricultural Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Harendra Singh Malik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  3695

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## PROTECTION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND

3695. SHRI HARENDRA SINGH MALIK:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that major chunk of agricultural land is getting polluted by industrial waste in the western Uttar Pradesh including Muzaffarnagar district,
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has any scheme to compensate the farmers whose land has become barren/infertile due to industrial waste in Uttar Pradesh particularly in Muzaffarnagar district;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor, and
- (e) the other steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI  RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) & (b): As  per  the  information  received  from  the  Uttar  Pradesh  Government,  no survey of agricultural land polluted by industrial waste has been conducted in Muzaffarnagar district. However, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed that it is obligatory on the part of industries to install effluent treatment plants (ETP) to provide adequate treatment to  effluent  before  discharging.  The  Ministry  of  Environment  Forest  and  Climate  Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India has notified 'Standards for Emission  or Discharge  of Environmental  Pollutants  from  various  Industries'  under  Schedule-I  of  the  Environment Protection Rules, 1986. CPCB organizes annual inspection of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) operating in river Ganga and Yamuna main stem States of Uttarakhand, Haryana, NCT-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal having potential to discharge into  river  Ganga,  Yamuna  &  their  tributaries  by  joint  teams  of  officials  from  technical institutes  like  IITs,  NITs  and  State  Pollution  Control  Boards/Committee  (SPCBs/PCC).  It may be noted that GPIs are industries having potential to discharge 100 kg/day BOD load and/or toxic effluents.

During annual inspections 2024, 1465 GPIs in Western UP were inspected out of which 347 were found non-complying w.r.t discharge norms or not having valid consent to operate.  Uttar  Pradesh  Pollution  Control  Board  issued  show  cause  notices  to  340  noncomplying GPIs and closure directions to 07 GPIs. District wise number of GPIs in Western Uttar Pradesh inspected during 2024 and action taken is given as Annexure-I.

(c) to (e): There is no provision for compensation of agricultural land that has got barren. However, in order to maintain land fertility and conserve soil, Department of Land Resources has sanctioned 56 Watershed projects covering 2.64 lakh hectares in Uttar Pradesh under Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichayee Yojna.

Annexure-I District wise number of GPIs in Western Uttar Pradesh inspected during 2024 and action taken

|   S.No. | District            |   No of GPIs |   Non-Complying | Action taken      |
|---------|---------------------|--------------|-----------------|-------------------|
|       1 | Saharanpur          |           48 |               8 | SCN-8             |
|       2 | Muzaffarnagar       |           66 |               6 | SCN-6             |
|       3 | Shamli              |            8 |               0 | 0                 |
|       4 | Meerut              |           55 |               2 | SCN-2             |
|       5 | Baghpat             |            9 |               1 | SCN-1             |
|       6 | Ghaziabad           |          416 |              77 | SCN-66, Closure-1 |
|       7 | Gautam Buddha Nagar |          137 |              63 | SCN-60, Closure-3 |
|       8 | Hapur               |          110 |              23 | SCN-22, Closure-1 |
|       9 | Bulandshahr         |          102 |              22 | SCN-22            |
|      10 | Moradabad           |          142 |              54 | SCN-54            |
|      11 | Bijnor              |           27 |               3 | SCN-3             |
|      12 | Amroha              |           21 |               0 | 0                 |
|      13 | Sambhal             |            8 |               1 | SCN-1             |
|      14 | Rampur              |           10 |               0 | 0                 |
|      15 | Agra                |            4 |               1 | SCN-1             |
|      16 | Mahtura             |          117 |              20 | SCN-20            |
|      17 | Firozabad           |            8 |               2 | SCN-2             |
|      18 | Mainpuri            |            1 |               0 | 0                 |
|      19 | Aligarh             |           70 |              37 | SCN-35, Closure-2 |
|      20 | Etah                |            7 |               4 | SCN-4             |
|      21 | Hathras             |           21 |              12 | SCN-12            |
|      22 | Kasganj             |            3 |               0 | 0                 |
|      23 | Bareilly            |           38 |               5 | SCN-5             |
|      24 | Badaun              |            8 |               2 | SCN-2             |
|      25 | Pilibhit            |            7 |               0 | 0                 |
|      26 | Shahjahanpur        |           22 |               4 | SCN-4             |

SCN stands 'show cause notices'

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