Do not permit industries if norms not obeyed: HC to Maha govt

Under the rules, facilities such as pipelines or Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) are required to be maintained to achieve the stipulated discharge standards.

The directive was given by Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar who also asked the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to constitute within a month a committee for five MIDC estates in the state to monitor functioning of CETPs and for industrial units within MIDC areas.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Nicholas Almeida who sought action against polluting units in the state.

The industrial estates whose reports were tabled in the Court about effluents being discharged into CETPs are Lote Parshuram Environment Protection Cooperative Society (Ratnagiri), Greenfield CETP Plant (MIDC Chincholi, Solapur), Badlapur CETP Association (MIDC Badlapur), Chikhloli-Morivali Effluent Treatment (MIDC Ambarnath) and Tarapur Environment Protection Society CETP.

Perusing the reports, the judges observed, "It appears that the CETPs are not in a position to comply with the statutory norms."

The Court also directed the associations running CETPs to inform the state pollution control board (MPCB) about the highly polluting industries. Besides, MPCB has also been asked to inform the concerned associations running CETPs about such action being taken.

For instance, if directions for closure are issued by MPCB to the highly polluting industries, a copy of all such directions shall also be served on the associations running CETP so that the concerned association can monitor compliance, the judges noted. (More)