An Uttar Pradesh paper mill has told the National Green Tribunal that they have decided to immediately shut down their operations in the wake of the Central Pollution Control Board's direction to close their unit for causing pollution.
Taking note of the submissions, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed a joint inspection team of CPCB and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to inspect Ramchander Straw Products Ltd.
"The joint team of UPPCB and CPCB shall inspect the industry. If they are found to be compliant and non-polluting they would be permitted to operate, subject to the orders of the Tribunal. If they are found to be non-compliant, the industry would be sealed," the bench said while posting the matter for next hearing on September 23.
During the hearing, Ramchander Straw Products Ltd informed the bench that they have already complied with the CPCB directions and "if any compliance remains, it would be done positively within two weeks".
The directions came on the plea filed by Uttar Pradesh- based farmers Kokaram Yadav and Chechinder Yadav seeking compensation of over Rs 7 lakh from the Moradabad-based unit for damaging their crops and the environment.
The plea, filed through advocate Rahul Choudhary, has stated that the paper mill has been continuously discharging its untreated effluents and dumping solid waste into the Aril river which meets Ramganga at Bareilly.
Consequently, Aril is blocked causing an overflow during the monsoons. As a result, the water and the effluents run into the adjoining agricultural lands in Sambhal district and damage crops and planted vegetation, it said.
"Even the Central Pollution Control Board's 2013 report titled 'Pollution Assessment: River Ganga' has included the unit in its list of 764 grossly polluting industries," the plea said.
