Stainless steel pickling industries inspected, DPCC tells NGT

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has informed the National Green Tribunal that it has inspected and examined the stainless steel pickling industries in Wazirpur Industrial area here which are not complying with mandatory pollution standards.
The Tribunal had earlier directed DPCC to inspect the units and examine whether the effluents emitting from each of the units were contributing to the pollution or not.
During the hearing, the counsel for DPCC also informed the bench headed by Justice P Jyothimani that he would produce all papers relating to 40 cases where show case notices were issued and 11 cases where consent to operate is stated to have been rejected on next date of hearing, October 17.

The tribunal, on September 10 had directed DPCC to take legal action against the erring industries which are not complying with mandatory pollution standards.
Earlier, DPCC had issued closure notices to several industrial units, mainly steel pickling units, in the Wazirpur Industrial Area for discharging harmful effluents in drains that empty in the Yamuna.
Steel pickling is the process of removing impurities, such as stains, inorganic contaminants, from the metal.

The Tribunal had, however, allowed the units which had earned "deemed" consent to operate and directed DPCC to expeditiously deal with the pending applications.
The Tribunal had, on a plea by an NGO, in August last year restrained such steel pickling units from carrying out operations without DPCC consent.

After restraining these industries from carrying out manufacturing activity, the Tribunal had on October 9 last year allowed the units to sell the stock they had manufactured till they were shut down.
The Tribunal was hearing a petition by NGO All India Lokadhikar Sangthan which has alleged there are several stainless steel pickling industries in Delhi that are operating in violation of green norms and are harmful to the environment and the public at large.