Environment Ministry bent norms to favour Rs 149-cr distillery that has Shivraj Patil’s son on its board

• The Environment Impact Clearance from the MoEF came in February 2007, with 17 fresh conditions. These clearances were for starting “grain-based liquor production with zero discharge levels” and with a production capacity of 60 KLPD (kilo litres per day).

• However, on September 17, 2007, the MoEF sent a letter permitting the distillery to expand the project from 60 KLPD to 75 KLPD. And to exercise a “dual feed” option, that is, production of liquor from either grain or molasses (where the comparative environmental hazard is much higher).

• Barely a month later, an inspection by the HSPCB showed deficiencies in the distillery’s water treatment/ effluent flow plants. The inspectors in their report said: “The discharge of waste waster from the processes is a violation of the NoC of the Board/ Environmental clearances issued by the MoEF.”

HSPCB officials in Panchkula told The Sunday Express that in view of these deficiencies, they were surprised by the Central clearance for expansion of the project.

Allowing dual feed, too, was a violation of current guidelines for stand-alone distilleries, Para 2 of which state: “Proposal for stand-alone new distilleries and expansion of existing distilleries without achieving zero discharge in surface water/ ground water will not be considered by MoEF...”

With N V Distilleries becoming a subject of a tussle between the Central and HSPCB authorities, chairman of the pollution control board A S Chahal stepped in and sent a strongly worded letter dated March 31 this year to the Joint Secretary in the MoEF.

Quoting guidelines, he wrote: “The subsequent environmental clearance granted by the Government of India on their own appears to be in violation of guidelines...In view of this, it is requested that facts of the case may please by re-examined...in case of any inconsistency with the provisions of the relevant Act/Rules/Notifications/Guidelines, Environmental clearance so granted may please be reviewed and action, if any at our end may please be intimated accordingly.”

When The Sunday Express visited the distillery, it was business as usual with truckloads of liquor consignments rolling out of Naraingarh. When questioned about the objection raised by the HSPCB, Ashok Jain said, “The Ministry of Environment has cleared our expansion to 75 KLPD and it is up to the HSPCB to give us the final authorization. But we will switch to molasses-based production only when it becomes commercially viable for us. It is the Centre that has given us the option of doing so.”

... contd.