Lok Sabha Question No. 244 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-05
Subject: Closure of Pollution emitting Industries
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Naba (Hira) Kumar Sarania

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 244

ANSWERED ON 05.02.2024

## Closure of Pollution emitting Industries

## 244. SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA:

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

- (a) the rules/guidelines/statutes for closure of an industry emitting pollution;
- (b) whether it  is  mandatory  to  issue  Show  Cause  Notice  and  personal  hearing  to  polluting industry;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the names of polluting industries closed so far without issuing of Show Cause Notice and personal hearing along with the list of industries whose closure directions revoked by the Central Pollution Control Board?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) to (c): The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has devised a 'Standard Protocol for Conducting Inspections, Report Preparation and Action'. The action against violators is taken based on the guidelines prescribed in this protocol.

In general, for minor non-compliances, show-cause notice is issued to unit, in line with the principles of Natural Justice and to give an opportunity to the unit, before issuance of closure directions  under  Section  5  of  the  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986.  However,  closure directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 are issued directly to the  unit  if  it  is  found  grossly  non-complying  with  regard  to  prescribed  environmental standards  and  other  shortcomings  which  have  potential  to  cause  grave  injury  to  the environment. Some of such gross non-compliances include the following:

- i. Any bypass discharge of partially treated or untreated effluent and emission observed.
- ii. Injection of treated or untreated water or both into ground water (reverse boring).
- iii. Operating  unit  having  defunct  Effluent  Treatment  Plant  (ETP)  or  Air  Pollution Control Device (APCD) and/or operating without installation of ETP or APCD.
- iv. Unauthorized disposal or dumping of hazardous waste likely to cause grave injury to the Environment.
5. (d): Based on Online Continuous Effluent/ Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS), CPCB has  inspected  215  industrial  units  since  2020,  out  of  which  83  units  were  found  non-

complying with environmental norms. Based on the severity of violations, closure directions were directly issued to 7 units without issuance of show-cause notice. All these 7 units have later  complied  with  prescribed  environmental  norms.  The  list  of  7  units  to  which  closure directions were issued directly by CPCB is as below:

|   S. No. | Name of the unit                                                                       | Sector                 |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|
|        1 | M/s. Mithila Dugdh Utpadak Sahkari Sangh Limited (Samastipur Dairy), Samastipur, Bihar | Dairy                  |
|        2 | M/s Hema laboratories, Raichur, Karnataka                                              | Pharmaceutical         |
|        3 | M/s Niox Speciality Paper Mill, Mehsana, Gujarat                                       | Pulp& paper            |
|        4 | Jagruti Sugar& Allied Industries Ltd, Devni, Maharashtra                               | Sugar                  |
|        5 | Dharashiv Sakhar Karkhana Ltd., Osmanabad, Maharashtra                                 | Sugar                  |
|        6 | Astik Dyestuff Pvt Ltd, Ankleshwar, Gujarat                                            | Dye & Dye Intermediate |
|        7 | M/s Athani Sugars Ltd., Maharashtra                                                    | Sugar                  |

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