Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004 |
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Pollution Industry & Economy - Environment Kerala PCB serves closure notices on 109 units G.K. Nair
Kochi , Aug. 30 FAILURE to comply with the provisions of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1989 has resulted in the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) serving closure notices on 109 industrial units in the State, according to pollution control experts. The State Government has to intervene immediately while the manufacturing units should effectively address hazardous waste management, they told Business Line. The SPCB, at the instance of Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC), issued notices last week to 109 industrial units for flouting the Hazardous Waste Rules. The SPCB has asked 32 units to closed down immediately. Under the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1989, which was amended in 2003, the State Governments and the industry shall jointly identify sites for safe disposal of hazardous wastes from industries, acquire and notify such sites. In most States, such efforts still remain in the preliminary stages. In the absence of notified sites, PCBs granted temporary authorisations for storage of hazardous wastes and such storages have in most cases became permanent. The guidelines stipulate that such permits for storages shall not become valid after 90 days. Thus, "due to lapse on the part of the state governments it became convenient for the industries to dispose off hazardous and toxic wastes, as they liked," they said. The SCMC gave the State Governments, respective PCBs and the industries sufficient time to put up facilities for safe disposal of hazardous waste. But the concerned agencies did not view the matter seriously and "thus gradually ended up with the massive closure notice," they pointed out. This is also intended to avoid a contempt of court situation for the concerned officials of the PCB and the State Governments, who are responsible for the timely implementation of the court directives, they said. However, considering the gravity of the situation, the government has constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to render necessary support to the units for tackling the situation effectively. In 1997, the apex court constituted a High Power Committee (HPC) on Management of Hazardous Wastes while considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 1995 by the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resources Policy, New Delhi, challenging the import of hazardous and toxic wastes into the country. The HPC with Prof M.G.K. Menon as its first Chairman was assigned a list of 12 Terms of Reference (ToR) including the management and safe disposal of hazardous wastes generated with in the country. The HPC submitted its report covering the 12 ToR. Later in Nov 2003, the Committee was reconstituted as Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Waste Management to oversee the strict compliance of the directions of the apex court on management of hazardous wastes with a set of further ToRs. They inter alia included: "To oversee the directions of the Supreme Court in the matter of WP 657/95 are implemented strictly and faithfully and to file quarterly reports to the Supreme Court." The immediate response following the closure notice issued to the units came from the trade unions. They in one voice appealed to the managements and government to urgently intervene to avoid closure of operating units which will involve huge loss as well as loss of jobs. Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce are yet to respond. CITU flays closure order THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State unit of the CITU has described as unilateral and highly objectionable the order to close down industrial units in the State. The CITU General Secretary, Mr P. K. Gurudasan, said here that he had sufficient reason to believe that the order would be made applicable in the case of some more units. The State Pollution Control Board was only too obliging to implement the recommendations of a committee whose role was at best advisory in nature, he added. The apex court had, in October last, issued orders for closing down those units, which continued to discharge hazardous waste. A special committee was constituted to ensure implementation of the order. The committee had visited the State three weeks ago and conducted a study based on which it ordered the closure of industries, Mr Gurudasan said. Neither representatives of the industry nor those of the Government were given an opportunity to attend the sittings of the committee. This was most unfair, he added.
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