Industries ask for more time after SC tells three states to ban pet coke, furnace oil

Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 31

A week after the Supreme Court directed the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to ban the use of pet coke and furnace oil in the industries, Bhiwadi Industrial Association on Tuesday requested the court give more time to the affected industries to comply with the order.

The association’s plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar which said the matter would be placed before an appropriate bench for hearing on Monday.

The petitioner association said it was ready to implement the order but the affected industries needed more time for compliance.

In its October 24 order, a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur had warned that non-compliance would force it to ban these materials from November 1. It had slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on union environment ministry for not finalising pollution emission standards for industries using pet coke and furnace oil in the national capital region (NCR).

Asking the three states to stop the use of these polluting materials, the top court made it clear that it would ban the use of pet coke and furnace oil in the three states from November 1 if they did not prohibit their use by industries.

The order had come on a PIL filed in 1985 by lawyer-environmentalist MC Mehta raising the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR.

The SC-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) had recommended that "distribution, sale and use of furnace oil and pet coke would be strictly banned in NCR".

In its May 2 this year order, the court had noted that the use of furnace oil and pet coke was prohibited in Delhi.

The governments of UP, Haryana and Rajasthan had no objection if a ban was placed on the use of furnace oil and pet coke. It had granted them the liberty to place such ban.

Pet coke and furnace oil used in the industries had ill-effects on ambient air and emissions from industrial units’ furnace oil and pet coke were highly toxic as these discharged high sulphur content, the court had been told.