Bharuch

Industries are not granted environment clearance to set up a new unit or for expansion of existing unit in industrial towns Ankleshwar and Panoli in central Gujarat as the Environment department, Government of India has declared this area as critically polluted zone.

On visit to Bharuch which is district headquarters, union minister of environment and forests Prakash Javdekar was asked by reporters about whether the government intends to lift the moratorium and when actually.

In his reply Javdekar said, “the government is working in this issue keeping the balance between development and environment in mind. A decision in this regard will be taken on the basis of Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index(CEPI) score report soon.

Local GPCB officials with whom Javdekar held a meeting believe that the area’s new CEPI score deems it fit to be brought out of the ban on expansion owing to critical pollution. IIT Delhi had designed the concept of calculating CEPI scores, and according to a recent calculation by the institute, Ankleshwar’s CEPI score does not tag it as critically polluted. However, the CPCB has come up with another score, and they have not shared the basis of the parameters on which they have calculated the score.

In January 2010, the ministry of environment and forests had imposed a blanket ban on the industries in the region to undertake any expansion at site. Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) claims that companies in the area have already invested close to Rs 500 crore, and Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index (CEPI) action plan has been implemented which is continually monitored by GPCB. Some of the measures implemented include establishment of common effluent treatment plants, common hazardous waste land fill site, common incinerator, laying of effluent convince lineup to deep sea, creating underground drainage system for carrying effluent, as well as tree plantation drives.

– DeshGujarat