Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has decided to hit the polluting industries in the State hard. The Board has set a deadline of June 30 for host of big and small industries to install online monitoring system at the premises that would provide real time data to Ranchi and Delhi offices.
The decision has been taken in a high level meeting of all the Chairmen of the State Pollution Control Boards and their Member Sectaries with the officials of the CPCB on Wednesday in Delhi. The JSPCB on its part has submitted list of whooping 76 industries operational in the State and falling in critically polluting categories.
“There are 17 categories of the high polluting works that have been identified as critically polluting industries by the CPCB. In Jharkhand, we have zeroed in on 76 industrial units that include Tata, Bokaro Steel Plant, Tenughat and Patratu power plants, Damodar Valley Corporation, cement plants and coal washeries and several others,” said JSPCB Chairman AK Mishra on his return from Delhi.
The online monitoring system would be installed with analyzer at the exhaust point of the identified industries to measure emission of effluents such a CO2, Carbon Monoxide, sulphur, ammonia and other deadly gases. The mechanism would convert the data into digital signals before transmitting it to reception system installed at JSPCB and CPCB establishments on real time basis.
“The system would bypass the inspector raj kind of thing and instead bring in technology intervention so that any kind of subjectivity involved is eliminated. No can temper with it neither the results can be evaded as even the counter action of the pollution board would also be under scrutiny,” added the Chairman.
Industries of Jharkhand have been under CPCB’s scanner as after conducting study of air, water and soil quality across the country, the central pollution watchdog had come up with Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) and had named five severely polluted industrial areas of the State among the 32 nationally. Industrial hosts of Jamshedpur, Ramgarh, Dhanbad, Bada Jamtara, Seraikela and West Singhbhum are the concern zones in Jharkhand.
Unlike earlier practice, the JSPCB is committed to send a stern message to the defaulters this time. “In case the industries do not comply with the direction and do not install the system at their premises by June 30 the consent to operate given to them would be withdrawn. We have also kept provision to forfeit their bank guarantee thereafter. The signal is loud and clear,” added Mishra.
Going even further, the Board would track the emission data collected at its facility coming from any particular unit and send mobile and e-mail alerts for 10 days if the discharge rate exceeds the limit. If the trend continues, the industry would be slapped with show cause notice followed by a closure notice for shutting down operation.
The CPCB has also agreed to the proposal from the Chairman to study carrying capacity of any river or a city well in advance so that planning can be done accordingly. “The CPCB has consented to provide technical and financial support in this regard. This would also reveal the cause of pollution into rivers or towns,” added Mishra.