Over 125 industrial units face closure

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 22

Over 125 industrial units running without consent are facing closure. The Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) has issued notices to the owners asking them to close the units immediately and seek permission after fulfilling the criteria.

Sources said the owners had been asked to comply with the notices failing which the CPCC would snap the water and electricity connections, besides filing cases against them.

The sources said the action was taken after it was noticed that the units were running without consent. An official said the consent of the CPCC was required under Sections 25 and 26 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, under Section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and under Rule 5 of the Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules, 2008, of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, before starting production in the units.

Confirming the development, Santosh Kumar, vice-chairman of the CPCC, said the units found running without consent had been told to close operations and file affidavits. Failure to comply with the decision would invite prosecution under the rules. The department has set up an intelligence unit to collect information about the violators.

The sources said it had been found that many industrial units were discharging their waste water without treatment and releasing air emissions without any air pollution-control device.