Draft inspection policy for industries prepared, Haryana tells NGT

The Haryana government has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that a draft policy has been prepared for increasing the frequency of inspections of industries. The chief secretary of the state also told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel that a meeting was to be held with the chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The submission was made in response to the NGT's direction to the Haryana chief secretary to look into the state's inspection policy of industries. The tribunal said constitution of a state pollution control board without effective functioning amounted to failure of the law enacted for protection of environment.

"The policy of inspections must be realistic and adequate to ensure that there is effective enforcement of law, particularly with regard to the Air Act, 1981, the Water Act, 1974 and the Environment Act, 1986," the NGT said on Wednesday, while hearing a plea against the polluting industries in Sonipat, Panipat and other districts. During the hearing, the tribunal also expressed dissatisfaction over the CPCB report on polluting units and said it did not address many issues.

"The report does not address the issue of groundwater contamination, nor action has been taken for recovery of environmental compensation from the polluting units. Though directions have been issued by the CPCB, the state must take further appropriate action expeditiously," it said. The tribunal said the Central Ground Water Authority needed to establish more stations for monitoring the groundwater quality as per the mandate of its constitution.

The tribunal's direction came during the hearing of a plea moved by one Shailesh Singh, seeking a direction to close the industrial units running without the requisite statutory consent under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Alleging that these industries are causing water pollution, the plea has also sought a direction to restrain those from dumping untreated effluent in fields.

Citing a news article, the plea said groundwater in most of the areas in 11 districts of southern and western Haryana was unfit for consumption due to salinity of high concentration of nitrate or fluoride.