Pollution control board to turn facilitator

Pollution control boards may shed their 'control' image and instead may turn a facilitator for "pollution prevention" or "environment protection".

The name-change is likely soon as recommended by the 53rd conference of the control board chiefs, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman G Srinikethan told the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Mysore zone.

Delivering the keynote address of CII's two-day seminar on 'Care for air, natural resources and mother earth', he said there was an urgent need for a dialogue between governments, business and industry representatives, trade unions, NGOs and other participating groups to promote understanding industry contributions to sustainable development.

Such a dialogue should cover responsible entrepreneurship, corporate management tools, technology co-operation and assessment, and industry and fresh water. The basic theme of such a dialogue should be how the private sector can help in sustainable development and what conditions are necessary for companies, both large and small, to be successful in this role.

"In this era of increased environmental awareness on the negative consequences of development, and the agitation against the path of present development, it has become imperative for the industry to follow the principles evolved by the Commission for Sustainable Development. We need to make an effort urgently to integrate economic, social and environmental goals into industrial policy and decision-making. We should also be committed to achieve the zero discharge of pollutants," the KSPCB chairman said.

State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority chairman G Srinikethan asked industry entrepreneurs to improve the quality of their environment-impact assessments.

"We are receiving very bad quality important impact assessment reports. They fail to give details of technology waste and its management. At the planning stage itself they have to take these into consideration," he said.

He pointed out that there is nothing called waste. The developing concept is "waste is wealth".

Hence, the recycling of waste should engage the industry's attention.

The authorities intended to suggest to Karnataka to impose a regulation to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the iron ore mined in Bellary district went for value addition, instead of exports.