Industries violating Air Act to be fined

Panaji: Industries operating in the state without the consent of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) under the Water Act and Air Act may soon face action, as the board has constituted an enforcement cell to bring such errant units under its consent mechanism.
GSPCB chairman Ganesh Shetgaonkar said that the board has formed the cell to act against those industries operating without consent to operate.“Once we find industries operating without consent to operate, we will issue them show cause notices and ask them to obtain the consent,” he said.
The decision to constitute the enforcement cell was taken at the last board meeting. The objective of the cell is to visit industries and units to verify whether or not they are operating with consent. If the cell finds that the units are operating without consent, it also has the power to issue show cause notices, closure directions, or to initiate criminal action and impose fines.
The board has already issued letters to municipalities and panchayats to give details of industries registered with them. Most local bodies have already furnished the details. The board will now scrutinise the data and issue show cause notices to erring units. Those units operating without consent will then have to apply for consent.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has categorized industries as red, orange, green and white. ‘White’ industries do not require consent to operate, but have to inform the board about their activities. The other three categories require consent to operate. The board issues consent to red for five years, yellow for 10 years, and orange for 15 years.