Power, water to 13 illegal electroplating units cut
Faridabad, April 18
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has disconnected the water and power connections of as many as 13 illegal electroplating units in the city.
Action has been taken against six such units on Tuesday, according to the officials of the department concerned.
According to an HSPCB official, the action comes in response to the complaint lodged with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in which it has been claimed that several units engaged in electroplating or zinc-plating work have been operational in an unauthorised manner in SGM Nagar and Fatehpur Chandila villages located within the civic limits.
It is revealed that a team of the Special Environment Surveillance Task Force (SESTF) inspected the units and carried out the water and power supply disconnection besides issuing a show-cause notice to the offenders.
As none of the units had effluent treatment plants, these had been functional from residential areas, it is revealed.
A similar action had been taken against seven such units about 10 days ago. “The units will be sealed or closed if the owners fail to justify the operations within 15 days,” said an official.
The SESTF, which comprises officials of the HSPCB, Police and Electricity Departments, and Municipal Corporation, is authorised to take action against the polluting units.
“The authorities concerned are yet to take action against around 150 units still operational in violation of the norms,” claims Narender Sirohi, a resident, who has lodged as many as 10 complaints on the NMCG portal in the past six months.
Over 40 electroplating units that are functional in the authorised areas of the DLF and Sectors 27, 28 and 30 have shifted to the Kosi area of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh in wake of the depletion of the water table here, he claims.
Varun Gulati, another resident, who has also lodged similar complaints, said around 75 units had either been inspected or served closure orders since January 2022. Action against around 500 units, including the RMC plants located in other cities such as Gurugram, Bahadurgarh and Sonepat, have also been taken in response to the complaints lodged by him, he adds.
Though an amount of over Rs 8 crore has been imposed as environmental compensation on many units, the recovery in many cases is yet to be done, it is claimed.
Meanwhile, Smita Kanodia, HSPCB Regional Officer, said, “As soon as a complaint is received, action is taken against the units flouting norms as per the provisions. The authority to shut the illegal units lies with the office of the pollution board chairperson.”
LIKELY TO FACE CLOSURE
Action has been taken against six illegal units on Tuesday. Seven other units faced a similar action 10 days ago. The units will be sealed or closed if the owners fail to justify the ops within 15 days.
HSPCB official
