Telangana: Drug co issued closure order for dumping waste through underground pipeline

HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) issued closure orders on Saturday to Athulitha Laboratories, a bulk drugs manufacturing company located at Sri Venkateshwara Cooperative Industrial Estate(SVCIE) in Jeedimetla industrial area, for indulging in illegal discharge of effluents into a nearby open drain by using underground pipelines.

It may be mentioned here that just in the first week of this month, TSPCB had issued closure orders for two other bulk drug manufacturing companies, also located in SVCIE for the same reason - of dumping industrial effluents into open drain through underground pipeline.

Kumar Pathak, Environmental Engineer, TSPCB-Medchal, said that the TSPCB officials during inspection of the Jeedimetla industrial area on Friday, discovered a pipeline with chemical traces in it near the open drain that runs through the industrial area.

Subsequently, excavation work was taken up by TSPCB officials to track the pipeline. The excavation work started from the open drain and was conducted along the underground pipeline. the pipeline was first seen at a depth of 5 feet and as the excavation continued it was found at a depth of 1.5 feet. Further excavation led to the pipeline leading into the boundary wall of Athulitha Laboratories.

TSPCB officials inspected the area inside the industry and saw the undergroundpipeline emerging inside the industry near a boiler. The pipelines were seized, the entire operation was captured in a video and panchanama was done, informed a media release by TSPCB.

TSPCB said that their observations clearly indicated that Athulitha Laboratories is indulging in illegal discharge of effluents into the open drain by using under ground pipelines, which is a gross violation of environmental laws. TSPCB also found that the company is also not complying with the Board's directions and conditions and as a result it was issued closure order on Saturday.