BS Samriddhi: 'Tech can help bridge gap between growth and environment'

Experts say a circular economy model is enabling Uttar Pradesh's industries to achieve their targets without sacrificing ecological concerns

Technology can help in ecologically sustainable industrial growth, said experts in a panel discussion on “Infrastructure and Ecological Balance” at the Business Standard Samriddhi conference in Lucknow. 

While acknowledging that pollution is inevitable in industrial development, the panellists agreed that India Inc. is slowly but surely aligning with the circular economy vision of the central and state governments. A circular economy is a regenerative system that eliminates waste by keeping materials in use through continuous recycling, reusing, and repairing. 

Mayur Maheswari, managing director of Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (UPPTCL), said the government has envisioned a circular economy roadmap for industry. “For example, biomass pellets are used in coal fired thermal power plants which have a propensity to curtail the phenomenon of stubble burning, especially in the National Capital Region,” he said. 

He noted municipal solid waste is being used as fuel although progress is slow. “In the Kanpur thermal power plant, we are using 40 micro litres per day (MLD) of treated municipal sewage water to cool towers,” Maheshwari said. 

Power generation companies are working with National Highways Authority of India to supply fly ash for road construction.

Maheswari said all stakeholders have now come to the understanding that environment protection and development and growth cannot be complementary to each other and instead have to be supplementary. 

He said though lots of technologies are available to ensure that infrastructure projects are environmentally sustainable as well, their transitions and adoption is rather slow. 

“We need to expedite this process of change for which industrialists have to come forward in a big way and involve technological partners and see this as an opportunity for investment which is very big,” Maheswari said. 

Ravindra Pratap Singh, chairman of UP Pollution Control Board, said whereas industry and development are vital, there are proven mechanisms to curb pollution, especially water pollution. 

“Earlier, the sugar industry was considered to be one of the most polluting ones, but now 80-90 per cent of the sugar sector has migrated to a circular economy concept. Most of the sugar mills have captive power plants,” he said. 

He said when industrial development happens, pollution is bound to come as an add-on and it is here that technology has a big role to play. “We all should recognise that growth is the need of the hour but at the same time it should not be at the cost of sacrificing the well-being of our future generations,” Singh said. 

He said that infrastructure projects should have mandatory green belt adjoining them while at the time of construction there should be strict norms to ensure that dust and dirt does not accumulate on the roadside. 

“For this, we need to ensure that when roads get built they should have mandatory dust mitigation measures in place. Also, open spaces should have grassing with them which is a very cost effective measure to check pollution,” Singh said. 

He said industries which are polluting water should have mandatory effluent treatment plants and sewage treatment plants.

“Gradually, we are also noticing that more and more industries are coming forward to set up these plants within their premises as they too are becoming environmentally conscious,” Singh said. 

He said the sugar sector is a prime example of how a circular economy works. It was an industry which was once a prime example of pollution of all sorts. It is now leading the way in showing the world how green fuel and bagasse can be used to produce clean fuel and generate power. 

Mukesh Bahadur Singh, chairman of UP coordination committee at Indo American Chamber of Commerce, said that more than 500 million pilgrims visited the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025. Yet there was no outbreak of any disease because appropriate measures were in place. 

“While the process of development cannot be impeded, environment loss could be minimised and pollution curbed with targeted steps,” he added. 

He also stressed upon creating awareness about net zero, carbon credit, climate financing and circular economy.

Rajesh Kumar, general manager, Union Bank of India, said the bank has been providing liberal credit to infrastructure projects while offering interest subsidies to promote green projects. 

He said growth of insurance products can play a big role in encouraging companies to opt for environmentally sustainable projects and industries. 

Kumar said while everyone is talking about the 690 Mw thermal power plant commissioned at Ghatampur in Kanpur, his bank alone has financed rooftop solar projects, totalling over 700 Mw in the last year and half. 

He said infrastructure is associated with building roads and his bank has substantial exposure to such projects across UP.

One must remember that once a road gets constructed it leads to reduction in vehicular pollution. 

Citing an example of an underpass constructed in Delhi, he said that studies show that it not only leads to easier commuting for people but also significant reduction in fuel use and pollution. 

Kumar said his bank has products that provide loans at cheaper rates to infrastructure projects if they follow some pre-laid down environmental norms. 

Entrepreneur Rajat Mohan Pathak said pollution is a by-product of development, and industrial units should be facilitated to set up treatment plants.