SC panel applauds M'shtra, Gujarat pollution boards

The Supreme Court monitoring committee on hazardous waste management has applauded the efforts of Maharashtra and Gujarat pollution control boards.

"Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Gujrat State Pollution Control Board (GPCB) have kept pace with the rapid industrialisation in the country and established infrastructure to meet the future challenges," said G Thyagarajan, chairman of the committee.

He also expressed concerns over the condition of common effluent treatment plants and praised the efforts of the two boards in this direction.

"We have asked the industrialised states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to follow the suit of Maharashtra and Gujarat," he said.

"All states should appoint local area environment committees (LAEC) like Delhi. Also, there is a need to increase the public participation in pollution control," he added.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka had formed their committees and others should take measures to appoint LAECs as per Supreme Court's directives, he pointed out.

The state pollution boards expressed concerns on lack of funds and inadequate manpower. Various state representatives sought better interaction among the state boards.They suggested measures such as posting their experiences on the official websites to have a better understanding of the pollution problems.