The National Green Tribunal on Friday slapped fines of Rs.10 lakh each on three industrial units in Uttar Pradesh for discharging untreated effluents and extracting ground water without permission from the Central Ground Water Authority.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed the fine on Gajraula-based ASP Sealing Products Ltd, Dairy India private Ltd and Umang Dairies Ltd for not setting up effluent treatment plants in their premises and releasing untreated waste in the open.
The green panel asked these industrial units to deposit the amount with the Central Pollution Control Board to "show their bonafide" before it.
The tribunal also issued notice to the UP pollution Control Board to show cause why costs should not be imposed on them and action not taken against their erring officials for granting consent to such industries which have been causing pollution over these years.
Earlier, the NGT had ordered closure of 13 industries in UP, including Amroha-based drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences, after inspections found them violating pollution norms.
The order was passed after the green panel noted the findings of a special inspection team which said that the effluents discharged in the Bagad river were beyond the prescribed limits.
Bagad, which spans a distance of 200 kms, contained heavy industrial pollutants from Gajraula and Bhagrala industrial clusters as there was no effluent treatment plant on the river.
The NGT had noted that though Bagad does not meet Ganga, the effluents would meet the river when there is a heavy flow.
The industrial units which were ordered to be closed are Jubilant Lifesciences Ltd (distillery unit), Jubilant Industries Ltd (Polymer unit), Jubilant lifesciences Ltd (chemical unit -1), Jubilant lifesciences Ltd (chemical unit -2), Jubilant Agri & Consumer Products, ASP Sealing Products Ltd, Teva API India Ltd, Insilco Ltd, Umang Dairies Limited, Dairy India Private Limited, Coral Newsprints Ltd, Kamakshi Paper Mill and Kaushambi Paper Mills.
On April 24, the NGT had constituted an inspection team comprising Member Secretary of Central Pollution Control Board, Director (Tech), National Mission for Clean Ganga, Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests and Member Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
They were directed to inspect 12 industries in the catchment area of Bagad river at Gajraula in Amroha district of UP and report about the source of water used by them.
In a detailed report covering various aspects of contamination in the river, CPCB had informed the NGT that the Ganga, spanning a distance of 543 km between Haridwar and Kanpur, was affected by 1,072 seriously polluting industries which were releasing heavy metals and pesticides.
At present, 823.1 million litres per day of untreated sewage and 212.42 MLD of industrial effluents flow into the river, while three of the four monitored Sewage Treatment Plants were non-compliant with the set standards, it said.