Ban on use and sale of pet coke in NCR

The environment ministry has banned the use and sale of imported petroleum coke in the national capital region, in the latest effort to curb air pollution.
Cement plants functioning in the NCR, which use pet coke as fuel, will have to take permission from state pollution control board, a notification released by the ministry on Friday said.
Even the industrial units allowed to use pet coke will not be permitted to store it for more than its three months consumption, it said.
"Import of pet coke for purposes of trading shall not be permitted in NCR States," the notification said.

The restrictions have been made under relevant section of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
However, only consented and registered industrial units in the region shall be permitted to directly import pet coke

The consignment shall be in the name of user industrial units for their own use only, it said.
Refineries and their authorised dealers will sell pet coke to only consented and registered industrial units in the NCR according to the quantity permitted by the state pollution control board, it said.
The state pollution control board shall develop an electronic record system for uploading of consents, registration, record of sales by oil refineries.

The record shall also be shared with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on quarterly basis, it said.