Team Herald
MARGAO: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has issued a stern warning to various establishments, mandating them to secure essential environmental clearances or face closure.
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The public notice outlines comprehensive guidelines for obtaining mandatory operational permissions across multiple sectors. The directive includes a wide range of residential and commercial units, including residential complexes with 24 or more flats, bakery units, laundry facilities, flour and rice mills, and carpentry workshops. Additionally, the notice extends to hotels, guest houses, resorts, motels, restaurants, vehicle washing centres, banquet halls, open-air venues, marriage halls, sawmills, and agricultural facilities such as dairies, gaushalas, poultry farms, and piggeries. Establishments falling under these categories are now required to obtain mandatory Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate under the Water and Air Pollution Control Acts. GSPCB has emphasised that operating without valid consent could result in immediate closure directions. Moreover, via the public notice, GSPCB has mandated that all establishments must display the details of this permission on a board at their respective premises.
Furthermore, the board has reiterated that noise pollution complaints should be directed to local police authorities, in alignment with the State government’s Noise Action Plan. The public notice comes against the backdrop of recent developments where the GSPCB has already issued closure notices to several shops and eateries across different locations in Goa.
In May, the GSPCB had sealed hotels and restaurants found discharging wastewater into drains in Margao, as well as businesses operating without the mandatory consents. The establishments had then hit back, blaming the sewerage department for failing to provide sewage connections as work on the sewerage network was still ongoing.
