In what is likely to hit the industrial development in Gujarat, the Centre has asked the state government to temporarily ban the setting up of new industries and expansion of the existing ones at Ankleshwar, Panoli and Vapi industrial estates.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has written a letter to the state in this regard. The letter dated August 25 states that no further expansion should be allowed in these industrial estates till the existing industries don’t comply with the pollution norms.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has also asked the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) to take prompt action against the companies that have been flouting norms. “We have received a letter from the CPCB to stop further expansion. Until the industries upgrade the effluent treatment plants, no further expansion would be allowed,” said RG Shah, member secretary, GPCB.

Exhaustive data collected by the CPCB shows that the Common and Final Effluent Treatment Plants set up jointly by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and the Industrial Association involving environment consultants have not followed the norms since the inception of CETPs and FETPs.

Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) in the critically polluted Vapi and Ankleshwar talukas, both of which have a high concentration of chemical industries, are proving to be a failure. The GPCB also admits that the problem of effluent drainage persists even after the setting up of CETP and FETP in the chemical belt.

“The existing CETPs and FETPs are not in a position to handle the discharge of the companies. The industries there need to upgrade if they want to expand further,” said Shah, adding that the industrial estates are now gearing up to meet the norms. The GPCB is of the view that the upgrading work would be over by 2010.

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