Six years on, Panipat dyers await water discharge plant

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, September 18

Members of the Panipat Dyers’ Association are waiting for the approval of a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) plant for the past six years. They alleged that the proposal of a ZLD of 100-MLD capacity had been prepared by HSVP engineering wing but it was stuck in files.

The Part 2 of Sector 29 was established by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP, then HUDA) in 2003, especially for dyeing units. As many as 350 registered dyeing units are operational here while the total plots in the sector are 600.

Bheem Rana, president, the Panipat Dyers’ Association, said dyeing industry was the mother of textile industry. But it was facing shortage of water as it needs approximately 42 MLD of water daily. Only 15 MLD water is being supplied through canal and ground water. As much as 40 MLD water is discharged daily, which goes waste, he stated.

“The problem can be resolved only after installation of a ZLD plant here. We have been demanding one for the past six years and the engineering wing of HSVP had made a proposal of a 100-MLD ZLD two years ago”, Rana said.

The department had also prepared a detailed project report (DPR) of the ZLD and sent it to the government for approval. The estimated cost of the project would be around Rs937 crore and it would be established in around 40 acres. After the ZLD plant, the dyeing industry would become self-sufficient and 98 per cent of the total discharged water can be reused by the industry, he added.

The Union Government is ready to bear 50 per cent of the total cost of the project under Namami Gangey project and the state government has to give 25 per cent of the total cost, said Lalit Goel, an exporter. But the important part is that the government is asking the industry to bear the 25 per cent cost but industries are not in the condition to do so, he said.

Vinod Khandelwal, president, Haryana Chamber of Commerce, Panipat chapter, said a proposal was sent to the ministry around one and a half year ago. The plant is the basic need of the dyeing industry and government has to take up this proposal on priority basis, he added.