Environment panel approaches oil companies against sale of petcoke

The Supreme Court-appointed environment panel on Friday directed oil companies to hand over a list of all their dealers to ensure that high-polluting petcoke and furnance oil is not rolled out in the market across Delhi and neighbouring states.

The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) in a meeting held here with the oil companies including Reliance, Indian Oil, Bharat Petrolium and others, has warned that the sale of petcoke will be considered contempt of court.

Petcoke and furnace oil are used as fuel across India though being more polluting than diesel.

"All the oil companies were asked to provide us the list of all their dealers throughout the nation. EPCA will personally warning all those dealers that strict actions shall be taken against them if they are found selling petcoke or furnance oil in the northern region," Usman Naseem, researcher at the Centre for Science and Environment and member of the EPCA, told IANS.

The apex court had earlier in October reprimanded the Union Environment Ministry for not setting standards for industries using the highly polluting fuel, banned the cheap fuel completely from November 1 in Delhi and NCR where 34 industries were using petcoke.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the plea for the recall of its order banning the use of petcoke and furnace oil by industries in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The court also rejected a plea by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) seeking extension of time to switch over to an alternate fuel.

Banned across several countries, petcoke is made from the residue of the petroleum refineries and contains very high volume of sulphur and other major pollutants.

The manufacturing of petcoke results in emission of carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulhpur dioxide and traces of heavy metals, according to Central Pollution Control Board .

In October, the Union Environment Ministry after agreeing that petcoke and the furnance oil is polluting, proposed tougher emission standards for about 21 industries (outside Delhi-NCR) using the cheaper fuel.

The new emission standards will apply to sugar, cotton textiles, composite woollen mills, synthetic rubber, pulp and paper, distilleries, leather industries, calcium carbide, carbon black, natural rubber, asbestos, caustic soda, small boilers, aluminium plants, tannery, inorganic chemical, lime kiln, glass, ceramic, foundries and re-heating furnaces industries.

Overall, there are 35 major industries including thermal power plants that use petcoke.

--IANS

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