Badal asks industrialists to abide by prescribed norms to check pollution by installing effluent treatment plants and ensuring proper operation; no laxity or complacency on part of industrialists will be tolerated, says CM

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will undertake inspection of all 17 large-scale dyeing industrial units in Ludhiana by September 15 to ascertain their extent of compliance with pollution norms prescribed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

The decision was taken by CPCB chairman S P Gautam at a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Sunday. Vardhman Group chairman S P Oswal will provide all information relating to these 17 industrial units to the CPCB chairman so that the board can provide vital inputs to these industrialists for upgradation of their effluent treatment plants to effectively check the pollution levels.

Badal said nobody would be allowed to play havoc with the lives of innocent people for their vested interests and pecuniary benefits. He asked the industrialists to abide by the prescribed norms to check pollution by not merely installing effluent treatment plants but also ensuring their proper operation. He said: “No laxity or complacency on part of erring industrialists will be tolerated. Either strictly comply with the norms or face action. The Government cannot compromise with the health of the people.”

The CM sought cooperation and technical support from the CPCB to ensure proper functioning and upgrading of effluent treatment plants strictly in accordance with the fixed norms.     

Badal also directed the PPCB to convene a meeting of key players in the field of industrial pollution control at the earliest so that the entire work of running and maintaining common effluent treatment plants could be entrusted to them. Badal also emphasised on the need to chalk out a detailed time-bound strategy to efficiently check the problem of pollution caused by the leather industry in Jalandhar.

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