TEAM HERALD
teamherald@heald-goa.com
PANJIM: In last one year, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has shut down 101 industrial units and hotels for flouting environmental rules and granted consent to establish to nearly 230 new units.
The Board during the financial year 2013-14 issued closure directions to 101 units for operating in violation of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
GSPCB chairman Jose Manual Noronha said “these units are those which, despite repeated show cause notices, failed to respond to the notices. Hence the Board was forced to issue closure notices to them. They are still closed.”
According to the Boards’ annual report 2013-14, the closer notices were issued to units such as stone crushers, hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs, small and micro industrial units like rice and flour mill, canning company, distilleries, packaging and beverage, fish meal, bakeries, metal, wood, cement units etc.
The units are located in Tiswadi, Colva, Margao, Curchorem, Quepem, Margao, Ponda, Pernem and Bardez.
The closure notices were issued to units for either working without obtaining Consent to Operate, and Establish, under Water and Air Acts, for creating water and air pollution in the vicinity and for failing to install effluent treatment plant (ETP) and sewage treatment facility.
The Board also granted Consent to Establish to 234 units under the Water and Air Acts and Bio-medical Waste (management and handling) Rules 1998 and hazardous waste (management and handling) Rules 2000. The permissions are basically granted to major and minor industrial units.
