By Anuj Bhalla, Chandigarh March 20: A number of policy decisions have been taken in a meeting of Board of Directors of Haryana State Pollution Control Board held under the Chairmanship of Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Environment Department Mr. R.R. Jowel at Panchkula near here today.
Enumerating the policy decisions, Mr. Jowel said that from the next financial year the industrial units should apply for consent before 90 days of the expiry of previous consent and such units would be granted consent for longer period that is 2 to 5 years depending upon the pollution potential involved. If the unit failed to apply before 90 days of the expiry of previous consent and apply 60 days before the expiry of previous consent, the unit would have to pay additional consent fee at the rate of 50 per cent of the consent fee notified under the Rules. Subsequently, if the unit failed to apply within the above mentioned period (before 60 days of the expiry of previous consent) and apply before 30 days then the unit would have to pay additional consent fee at the rate of 100 per cent of the consent fee, he added.
Mr. Jowel said that the consent would be granted for longer period that is for 2 years for red category of industries, 3 years for orange category of industries and 5 years for Green category of industries. The consent to operate would be granted or refused within 3 months period that is upto March 31 for the next financial year so as to ensure that industrial units were having valid consent to operate in advance before the commencement of the financial year. For new projects or units would apply for consent to operate 30 days before the commissioning of the projects for trial consent.
The Board decided that the validity of the Bank Guarantee submitted by the units at the time of grant of consent to establish would be for a period upto one year from the grant of first consent. Presently the Board was asking for validity of Bank Guarantee at the time of Consent to Establish for a period of 5 years. This was a long standing demand of industry as their money is blocked for many years, he added.
Mr. Jowel further said that the objective of the Board was to ensure compliance and after its operation validity period of Bank Guarantee for one year was sufficient to oversee their performance. He said that It has been observed that many units were not operating Pollution Control Devices and bye-passing the effluent as and when team visits such units, lot of excuses come forward. In order to ensure strict compliance, it has been decided to take performance security at the time of applying for consent.
He said that in order to educate the industry and to facilitate the process of installation of pollution control devices it has been decided to empanel the list of reputed consultants. The empanelment of reputed consultants as done by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the CPCB would be adopted and an advertisement would also be issued for inviting more applications from other reputed consultants for empanelment by the Board. He said that the Pollution Control Equipment of only ISO or BIS mark would be installed by the industrial units. This would facilitate the installation of proper pollution control devices which was a big relief to the industrial units. The Board would adopt such criteria which would ensure that only reputed consultants were empanelled.
Mr. Jowel maintained that there was a demand from Industrial Associations that NOC cases for projects which were covered under EIA Notification get delayed for want of Environmental Clearance. They requested that the NOC cases of such projects might be dealt in the Board simultaneously with the Environmental Clearance. After examining their request, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has decided to grant No Objection Certificate to industrial units or projects which were covered under Environment Impact Assessment Notification simultaneously on submission of proof that such units have applied for Environmental Clearance to the Competent Authority, he added . He said that presently, the Board was issuing NOC only after grant of Environmental Clearance by Competent Authority. NOC so granted would be subject to the condition that unit would not start construction activity without obtaining Environmental Clearance from the Competent Authority under EIA Notification.
He said that the Board has also decided that for the coming financial year that is 2012-13 the consent to operate would be renewed by the District Level Clearance Committee or Head Office of HSPCB by first week of April, 2012 based on the previous test results so as to ensure that industrial units which were complying with the pollution norms were having valid consent to operate in advance. The renewal of consent would be subject to the condition that they would submit the fresh analysis report under Water and Air Acts within three months period positively failing which action would be taken as per law, added Mr. Jowel.
He said that to categorize the industries as per the guidelines of Central Pollution Control Board under Red, Orange and Green Categories. The Red Category of industries were those which are highly polluting in nature, Orange Category were moderately polluting in nature, and Green Category covers less polluting industries. The Red category of industries would be granted consent upto two years, Orange upto three years and Green upto five years.
He said that it has been decided that a policy regarding taking performance guarantee or performance security at the time of grant of consent to operate and amount of the security would be based on the capital investment cost of the unit. In case of any violation or non compliance, the performance security would be forfeited besides taking action as per law. This would ensure regular operation of the pollution control devices by industrial units, he added.
The meeting was attended by other official Members namely Mr. S.K.Joshi, Transport Commissioner, Mr. C.R. Jottriwal, PCCF, Mr. Vijender Singh Kadian, Member Secretary, HSPCB, other non-official Members and Members from Industry and Local Bodies.
Dear Sir,
We want to make a farm house. 40 cows and 200 cows.
sir pl tell me is reqried the polluion dept NOC 40 cows and 200 cows.
Need Policy notification No. HSPCB/2012/Policy/100 dated 1st April 2012 for performace security.