500 coal-based units shut in Panipat

Tribune News Service

Panipat, October 1

Following the call of the Panipat Dyers Association, around 500 coal-based industries were shut today. The members of various industrial associations gave an ultimatum to the government to revert the decision till October 13, after which the industrialists and labourers would protest in all the districts of the NCR.

Besides, members of various industrial organisations held a meeting to decide upon the next course of strategy to get relief.

Industrialists’ demand

• Fine should be minimised and jail directions abolished
• Time should be extended to switch the boilers from coal to PNG up to 18 months
• To bring the solid particulate matter (SPM) from 800 to 80 is very tough and the SPM limit should be set at 300
• To stabilise the price of the PNG gas, which was very high due to the Russia-Ukraine war and it should be controlled by some regulatory authority or commission
• Gas should be provided at concessional rate to the industries and cess should be applied on coal for other states

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had issued directions in February that if any industry in the designated industrial areas of the NCR region was found running on conventional fossil fuel such as diesel, coke or high speed diesel (HSD), it would be shut down after September 30.

As per directions of the CAQM, any industry violating the instructions was supposed to be penalised with Rs 25 lakh to Rs one crore and five years’ imprisonment.

The industrialists made efforts for norm relaxation but failed. Therefore, Panipat Dyers’ Association on Friday announced to shut their industries Saturday onwards.

Scared by the CAQM directions, various industrial organisations came together and held a meeting at a hotel here today. The office-bearers of the Panipat Dyers’ Association, Panipat Exporters’ Association, Panipat Industrial Association, Carpet Manufacturers’ Association, Old Industrial Area Association, Sector 29 part 1 and part 2, Sector 25 part 1 and part 2 industrial association, mink blanket manufacturers, polar blanket manufacturers, Shodhi Yarn Manufacturers and others participated in the meeting.

Bheem Rana, president, Panipat Dyers’ Association, said all the dyeing and blanket industries in Panipat were shut today. It was decided in the meeting that the government would be given an ultimatum and till then, all the industries would be shut he added.

Kamaljeet Singh, regional officer, HSPCB said the teams visited around 10 industries and around 42 of them had maintained PNG connections, while around 140 had switched to biomass.

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