Punjab Pollution Control Board fines beverage factory Rs 99.71 lakh for illegal groundwater extraction

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has imposed a fine of Rs 99.71 lakh on a beverage factory here for extracting groundwater without necessary permission, officials said on Saturday.

The penalty was imposed following a raid conducted by a team of the PPCB and other departments at the factory premises in the Timber market in Rajpura.

The raid was conducted to investigate alleged violations of environmental norms by the factory, the officials said.

During the raid, the team found several discrepancies, including illegal extraction of groundwater and non-compliance with pollution control regulations, they said.

Following the discovery of these violations, the PPCB issued a notice to the factory, which supplies packaged drinking water and soda, imposing a penalty of Rs 99,71,200 for the environmental damage caused by its operations, they added.

The PPCB also directed the factory management to take immediate corrective measures to address the environmental issues and submit a compliance report within a stipulated time frame.

The issue came to light when residents of the area complained against the factory, following which the Rajpura sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) constituted a team comprising officials of the PPCB and the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board to check the factory's activities, according to the officials.

The team discovered that the company had installed a borewell without the permission of the competent authority for the extraction of groundwater, the officials said.

Subsequently, the deputy commissioner of Patiala requested the PPCB to take action against the factory for the violation.

After examining the case, the PPCB revoked the consent to operate for the factory under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

The PPCB ruled that the company was liable to pay environmental compensation for the extraction of groundwater without the necessary permission for the period of violation from September 2018, the officials said.

The borewell had a diameter of 6 inches and a depth of 350 feet. The factory's water consumption was recorded to be 2,33,975 kilolitres, they said.

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