Temporary breather for units VECL told to submit action plan

  • | Wednesday | 16th January, 2019

Now, they will have to submit a time-bound action plan before us. VECL had moved a special civil application in the HC seeking the stay. Despite several attempts made by TOI, VECL’s managing director Satish Panchal however remained incommunicado. Based on this action plan, we will provide them the time-frame in which they will have to ensure that all the directives given by us are followed within the specific time-frame,” K C Mistry, member secretary of GPCB told TOI on Tuesday.“If they fail to adhere to the directives by that time-frame, we will have to implement the closure order. Vadodara: Industrial units in and around Vadodara which are not complying to pollution parameters on Monday have got temporary relief for now.Based on a representation made by the Vadodara Enviro Channel Limited (VECL), state’s pollution watch-dog – the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has decided to wait for the detailed action plan that VECL is expected to submit before it.The 30 days deadline given by GPCB to VECL through a closure notice that was issued last month ended on Sunday.It was on December 13 that GPCB had issued a closure notice to VECL, which is responsible for disposal of treated wastewater of nearly 300 industrial units in and around Vadodara, under section 33 (A) of the Water Act, 1974 for not complying to water quality parameters.“We have received a representation from VECL that they are ready to comply by our directives.

Vadodara: Industrial units in and around Vadodara which are not complying to pollution parameters on Monday have got temporary relief for now.Based on a representation made by the Vadodara Enviro Channel Limited (VECL), state’s pollution watch-dog – the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has decided to wait for the detailed action plan that VECL is expected to submit before it.The 30 days deadline given by GPCB to VECL through a closure notice that was issued last month ended on Sunday.It was on December 13 that GPCB had issued a closure notice to VECL, which is responsible for disposal of treated wastewater of nearly 300 industrial units in and around Vadodara, under section 33 (A) of the Water Act, 1974 for not complying to water quality parameters.“We have received a representation from VECL that they are ready to comply by our directives. Now, they will have to submit a time-bound action plan before us. Based on this action plan, we will provide them the time-frame in which they will have to ensure that all the directives given by us are followed within the specific time-frame,” K C Mistry, member secretary of GPCB told TOI on Tuesday.“If they fail to adhere to the directives by that time-frame, we will have to implement the closure order. If they adhere to the directives, we can start the process of revoking the closure notice,” he said, adding that VECL has also given an assurance that it will submit a bank guarantee to the state pollution control board soon.On being asked about the effluent still flowing in the VECL pipeline, Mistry said that GPCB has already written to the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited asking the latter to cut power supply of VECL after 30 days and the company has also been asked not to use its captive power plant or even DG set to run its operations.“We expect the directives to be followed,” he said. Despite several attempts made by TOI, VECL’s managing director Satish Panchal however remained incommunicado. Environment activists, however, said that the fact that VECL has neither submitted an detailed action plan nor stopped the effluent being discharged in its pipeline before the deadline, is a clear violation of GPCB’s closure notice and even amounts to contempt of Gujarat High Court (HC) and Supreme Court’s order.“GPCB should have initiated criminal proceedings against all the concerned as the fact that the effluent is being discharged from the VECL pipeline despite the HC order and Supreme Court’s directive, shows how they are bold to violate all the norms,” said Rohit Prajapati from Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) whose representation before the authorities had forced GPCB to issue closure notice to VECL.On January 11, a division bench of the HC had declined to stay the closure notice. VECL had moved a special civil application in the HC seeking the stay.

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