Surat: The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) seems to be remaining a mere paper tigers as closure notices are hardly any deterrent for polluting mills. “In the last eight months, we have issued not less than 50 notices to these textile mills in the city limits and closed down 10. However, they all restart business in a couple weeks and same problem emerges.”
Member secretary, GPCB, K U Mistry told TOI, “The textile mill owners are not taking our punitive actions seriously. Once the closure is applied, they are supposed to maintain certain quality of air, which they do for some days, but are back to the usual functioning. We will be taking very stringent action against such errant mill owners soon.”
Mistry added, “A policy decision is being taken by the state government and mill owners will be soon asked to move out of the city limits once the development plan of Surat Urban Development Authority is approved and residential zone is be declared.”
At present, the regional office of GPCB in Surat is headless. The vigilance officer of the Surat region is being given charge of the regional officer (RO), who is overworked and has issued 36 notices in last one-and-a-half-month to textile mills. The RO was transferred to Palanpur and the officer appointed in his place is on leave. There are just three staffers in the GPCB office located at Belgium Square.