Sc Hauls Up Haryana Units For Pollution

The Supreme Court has fined two Sonepat units "" Frost Falcon Distilleries and Haryana Colour "" Rs 50,000 each for discharge of effluents into the Yamuna river. A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Kuldip Singh and S Saabir Ahmed, in its order has directed the units to pay the fine by September 7.

A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court against the two units on the basis of a report in a national daily. Earlier, the Haryana Pollution Control Board, in its report had also described the two units as highly polluting.

The court has also directed the Central Pollution Control Board to inspect the two units at the earliest and submit its report by August 28.

Two other units in Haryana "" Haryana Organics in Panipat and East India Cotton Mfd Co in Faridabad have also been issued show cause notices for pollution by the apex court. The notices call for an explanation from these units as to why they should not be ordered to close down. The apex court has also directed the Central Pollution Control Board to inspect the two units.

Earlier, the Haryana Pollution Control Board also submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the polluting industries in the state.

S C Mann, member-secretary of the Haryana Pollution Control Board told Business Standard that in all 220 units based in Haryana, mostly paper mills, distilleries and tanneries, located in Yamunagar, Karnal, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonepat, had been discharging effluents into the Yamuna.

The board had served notices to all, directing them to install treatment plants. So far, Mann said, 26 units had already installed treatment plants, which had been found meeting the prescribed standards.

Information available with the board says 13 other units have installed treatment plants but are yet to commission them, while 21 other units are in the process of installing the same.

Of a total of 220 polluting units in the state, 27 have been temporarily closed.

Haryana Pollution Control Board chairman Tarsem Lal said the polluting units would be given more time to install the treatment plants.