On-ground inspection of industrial units in Haridwar

Directed by the Prime Minister’s Office to monitor the level of pollution supposedly caused by the industries based in the district, four teams comprising members of Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board and district officials would launch on-the-ground inspection of such industrial units from  March 13 onwards.

They would also suggest steps on how to mitigate the level of the pollution the industries are supposed to be spawning. The monitoring would be carried out in two phases and the teams would submit report by March 22 to the Central Pollution Control Board as well as the Centre. 

ADM finance Lalit Narayan Mishra said, “Despite senior environment officer Vishwas and scientist R K Ahuja having directed the industries to implement the Central Pollution Control Board norms, many of the industries based in SIIDCUL and Haridwar industrial areas are not complying with the norms. We would check things on the ground and suggest ways on how to mitigate the level of pollution in the report we would submit.” 

During a meeting at the Collectorate on Friday called to form such inspection teams, it was decided that in the first phase, Haridwar and Laksar area would be covered while in  the second phase the joint teams would visit the industries located in Bhagwanpur and Roorkee blocks. The environment officer Vishwas said that action would be taken against the industries found violating the pollution control norms.The industries which would come under the purview of the inspection include small scale, medium scale and large scale industries.

Mishra further said that sharing of data between the SIIDCUL and Pollution Control Board has already been done. “The industrial units to be covered during the inspection would be shortlisted by Monday. Our focus would be on those units which are operating sans clearance from the  Pollution Control Board,” he added. The baseline parameters set by the joint teams are whether the units are having the required clearance from the Pollution Control Board and whether they are throwing untreated waste right into the Ganga, said Mishra, adding that the line of the action of the teams has been firmed up during the meeting. Notably, there are close to 3000 big industries in the areas to be covered under the inspection and a number of them are allegedly polluting Ganga and the areas they are located in.