Licence of 13 Rewari brick kilns suspended

Rewari, December 17

The Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs has suspended the licence of 13 brick kilns in the district for not getting it renewed in the stipulated time. It has also directed the kiln owners to stop the work of making raw bricks at their sites with immediate effect.

Assn cries foul

• The Rewari Brick and Tiles Manufacture Association claimed that owners of these kilns had already submitted their documents and fee for the renewal of their licence to the departments concerned
• The delay in issuing the NOC to owners of most of these 13 kilns has been at the level of the Department of Town and Country Planning, it claimed

The kilns are located in Bawal, Kosli and Rewari blocks. The district has a total of 92 brick-kilns and their operations start on March 1 and conclude on June 30 as per the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal in order to protect the environment from pollution.

“The kiln owners are required to get no objection certificates (NoC) from three departments — Mining, Pollution, Town and Country Planning — for the annual renewal of their licences from the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. Those failing to get it done by June 30 have to pay the penalty,” said an official.

Ashok Rawat, District Food and Supply Controller (DFSC), said owners of the 13 kilns had been put on notice twice during the past couple of months and they were asked to complete paper formalities for getting their licence renewed but they failed to do so, inviting the suspension. Their licence would remain suspended till the completion of their documents.

“The work of making raw bricks was found underway when officials of our department carried out inspection of the kilns after the suspension of their licence. Thereafter, they were not only asked to stop this work with immediate effect but also put on notice to clarify why they were doing so without any licence,” Rawat added.

Meanwhile, the Rewari Brick and Tiles Manufacture Association, while terming the action as unjustified, claimed that owners of all these kilns had already submitted their documents and fee for the renewal of their licence to the departments concerned.

“The delay in issuing the NOC to owners of most of these 13 kilns has been at the level of the Department of Town and Country Planning. So how can the kiln owners be penalised for that? This office always causes inordinate delay in issuing the NOC and the issue has also been raised before the district authorities but nothing has changed,” Mukesh Kumar, general secretary of the association.