HYDERABAD: Central Pollution Control Board has served a show-cause notice to a Guntur-based cement firm for violations of hazardous waste rules. CPCB sent the notice under Section 5 of Environment Protection Act to Parasakti cement for processing hazardous waste like battery scrap and operating without consent under Hazardous Waste Management rules of the state board.CPCB carried out an inspection at Parasakti Cements to verify the compliance with emission norms and made several observations. “The particulate matter emissions from clinker collers and cement mill exceed the revised standards. The unit needs to augement emission control systems to bring down the particulate matter emissions,” CPCB Chairman SPS Parihar said in a notice to the firm.“The unit processes hazardous waste like battery scrap and waste grinding media scrap which have not been permitted by the State Pollution Control Board. The unit is operating without valid consent and there is no authorisation under Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2016,” CPCB further alleged.CPCB asked Parasakti that why they can’t be closed down for violations. The cement firm was given 15 days to rectify the emissions and was also asked to submit a reply and an action taken report within 15 days from the date of issue of notice. “In the absence of the reply it will be presumed that industry has nothing to say in this regard and CPCB will be constrained to take actions deemed fit including prosecution under provisions of EP act,”CPCB had earlier convened meetings with regional directorates, cement industries and State Pollution Control Boads to expedite the submission of action plans and ensure compliance. Cement industries were asked to comply with the rules. In April last year the unit claimed that it had already complied with the revised emission norms. However the CPCB inspection proved otherwise.Parasakti Cements general manager works MSN Raju told TOI, “In 2016 itself we have complied with the revised pollution norms. There is no pending work regarding emission control. We don’t handle battery scrap or any other hazardous waste. All inspections of State and Central Pollution Control Board are followed correctly.”

Stay updated with all the Latest Vijayawada headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.