Tajpur Road CETP: NGT breather: Dyers’ body not to build irrigation channel
The PDA had challenged the condition in the NGT stating that it would put extra burden of ₹200 crore on it and in 2016, the PPCB admitted that the government had approved a project for the same
In a relief for the Punjab Dyers Association (PDA), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Government of India, and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to remove the condition wherein the association was asked to construct an irrigation channel for availing the grant of ₹22.5 crore for the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) project at Tajpur Road.
The PDA had challenged the condition in the NGT stating that it would put extra burden of ₹200 crore on it and in 2016, the PPCB admitted that the government had approved a project for the same.
PDA general secretary Bobby Jindal said, “No such condition was imposed on the Focal Point dyers while the ministry sanctioned them the grant in 2016. Further the PPCB member secretary had also admitted that the government has approved a project for the same.”
However, while sanctioning the grant for the 50 million litres daily (MLD) Tajpur Road CETP, the condition was imposed that the irrigation channel till Moga would be developed by the PDA at its own expense for using treated water for irrigation and the waste will not be dumped in the Buddha Nullah.
The hearing of the case was held on January 20 and the NGT said the ministry cannot impose different conditions for the two CETPs. The tribunal ordered the ministry to impose the same condition as on the 40 MLD Focal Point CETP.
Environmental compensation on PPCB’s mind
PPCB member secretary Krunesh Garg said the government has to pay only ₹22.5 crore as subsidy out of the total cost of over ₹70 crore (including cost of sewer line) and the rest amount has to be incurred by the PDA.
“The PDA has only incurred around ₹25-30 crores to date. The board is contemplating imposing environmental compensation on the PDA as the deadline for the project was January 31. Garg said the grants will be released soon and they will also comply with the directions of NGT,” he said
Jindal, however, said that the PPCB is setting deadlines but the government has failed to release the grant. They had taken up the matter with deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal and a resolution has been approved and sent to the PPCB for extending the deadline up to June 30.
In the absence of CETP, untreated waste of dyeing industry is being released into the Buddha nullah. The PPCB has already imposed environmental penalty of Rs 9 lakh per month on the Focal Point dyeing industry as they have failed to meet the deadline.