Thaindian News

Chandigarh, May 26 (IANS) Cracking the whip, the Haryana government ordered the closure of 639 industrial units in 2010-11 for violation of water and air pollution norms, a minister said here Thursday.

Environment and Forests minister Ajay Singh Yadav said the ministry has launched prosecution against 151 other industrial units in the special environment courts in Faridabad and Kurukshetra.

Yadav said strict implementation of water and air pollution norms had also led to 9,239 industrial units installing pollution control devices in the state.

Yadav said: “No polluting unit would be allowed to operate without having installed pollution control devices. Closure notice is issued as and when any violation occurs.”

He said 17 categories of highly polluting industries had been directed to set up continuous online monitoring stations to ensure compliance of standards of air emissions and a constant vigil is being kept on them.

“Online monitoring stations will also be set up at inter-state points in Palla and Badarpur villages on river Yamuna to ascertain the level of pollution,” he said.

He said regular checks are being conducted by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) officers and action taken against violators.

Yadav pointed out that acting on the action taken report submitted by the HSPCB, the union environment ministry had recently revoked the ban on new industrial units in the districts of Panipat and Faridabad. These districts had earlier been declared critically polluted industrial clusters by the ministry of environment and forests.

The state government has also imposed a complete ban on the use of plastic bags in Haryana. The ban is on the manufacture, stock, distribution, sale and usage of polluting material, especially plastic bags, in the state.

“While in 2009-2010, 837 challans were issued, in 2010-2011, their number swelled to 3,777. Closure orders have been issued against four units manufacturing plastic carry bags,” Yadav said.

While district authorities have been empowered to take action against errant industrial units in their jurisdiction, the Haryana government has urged neighbouring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab to stop the sale of plastic bags to Haryana.

Close on the heels of the ban on plastic carry bags, the state government has also imposed a complete ban on the manufacture and use of plastic articles like cups, plates, tumblers, spoons, forks and straws, on the precincts of famous religious places at Panchkula, Gurgaon, religious towns of Kurukshetra and Thanesar, and the environmentally sensitive areas like Morni Hills, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

He said nine Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and 29 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) had been installed for the treatment of effluents from industrial clusters and sewage effluent generated in various towns of the state.

“This has helped keep the quality of water in the Yamuna river on the Haryana-Delhi border well within the permissible limits,” he added.