Lok Sabha Question No. 3702 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Pollution due to Pachpadra Refinery
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3702

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Pollution due to Pachpadra Refinery

## 3702. SHRI UMMEDA RAM BENIWAL:

Will  the  Minister  of ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the operations of units of proposed Rajasthan Pachpadra Refinery is likely to further aggravate the problem of pollution;
- (b) if so, whether it adversely affect the health of the common man;
- (c)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  mitigate  and  prevent  the  impact  of  increasing pollution in the area around Pachpadra Refinery;
- (d) whether any guidelines have been issued to the companies for environment protection and improvement since the commencement of construction work of Pachpadra Refinery in 2018;
- (e) if so, the action taken thereon and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (f) whether the cases of violation of rules by the companies operating in Pachpadra Refinery and surrounding  areas  have  come  to  notice  of  the  Government  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof including number of such cases; and
- (g) the details of the action taken or proposed to be taken thereon so far?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a)  to  (e): In  accordance  with  the  Environment  Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006  the petroleum  refineries  are  required  to  take  environmental  clearance  (EC)  from  the  Ministry  of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), prior to their establishment. Ministry has granted  Terms  of  Reference  on  27 th September,  2013  along  with  public  consultation  to  the project titled 'Setting up a Grass Root Rajasthan Refinery cum Petrochemical complex Project (RRPC)  at  Pachpadra  Tehsil, District Barmer  (Rajasthan)  by M/s  Hindustan  Petroleum Corporation  Limited'.  Public  Consultation  has  been  conducted  by  the  Rajasthan  Pollution Control Board on 30 th May, 2014. Environmental clearance to the project was granted on 13 th September, 2017. The aforesaid Environmental Clearance was transferred from M/s Hindustan

Petroleum Corporation Limited to M/s. HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited on 16th June, 2023 following due procedure.

The  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  mitigate  and  prevent  the  impact  of  pollution from such projects are as below:

- i. The MoEFCC has notified effluent and emission standards for petroleum refineries.
- ii. All the petroleum refineries are mandated to have adequate Effluent Treatment System and Air  Pollution  Control  System  and  to  comply  with  the  prescribed  effluent  and  emission discharge  standards.  Action  in  the  form  of  directions/  show  cause  notices  are  taken  by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) / SPCBs / PCCs on industries that fail to comply with the notified effluent and emission discharge standards.
- iii. It is mandatory for all the petroleum refineries to operate only after issuance of Consent to Operate (CTO) from respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees  (PCCs).  These  CTOs  are  issued  by  the  respective  SPCB  after  satisfying themselves about the commissioning of the pollution control devices in the unit.
- iv. CPCB  has  directed  all  17  categories  of  high  pollution  potential  industries  including petroleum refineries to install Online Continuous Effluent / Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) with real time data connectivity to CPCB. CPCB conducts regular inspections of the industries based on exceedance alerts of OCEMS or if OCEMS becomes offline. Based on  the  observations  of  inspections,  CPCB  takes  action  on  the  defaulter  industries  as  per extant rules.
- v. The  Environmental  Clearance  issued  by  MoEFCC  prior  to  establishment  of  the  unit stipulates several mandatory conditions for the industry for strict compliance.

(f) and (g): As per available information, no violation of rules related to environment protection and pollution control by the unit has been reported.

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