HYDERABAD: As part of its efforts to make Hyderabad a city with ‘zero industrial pollution’, the state government has identified 19 prime locations outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) for moving polluting industries out of the state capital.
The state government identified that as many as 1,545 industries, which are in the city, are emitting hazardous pollutants. Majority of them are pharmaceutical industries such as manufacturers of bulk drugs and chemical units. Of them, 385 industries have been already shifted outside ORR. The remaining 1,160 industries are likely to be shifted by December 2017.
“Pharmaceutical industries are major among the polluting industries that are to be shifted outside ORR. Hence, the government has begun taking steps to shift these industries to areas outside ORR. The government has identified 3,104.10 acres of land in 19 locations for shifting such industries,” official sources said.
The villages identified for shifting are located in Medak, Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy and Mahbubnagar districts. All the 1,160 industries located inside the Outer Ring Road would be shifted to villages in the mentioned four districts, sources added.
Industries already certified for complying with ‘zero liquid discharge’ will not be shifted. Only those who are not compliant, will be relocated in a phased manner.
In fact, Urban Development minister KT Rama Rao had announced an action plan a few months ago to shift polluting industries out of the city. However, he had made it clear that the relocation does not mean shifting of the pollution from the city to its nearby villages.
According to the minister, when the industries are shifted to the newly identified villages, managements of these units would have to ensure that these industries are 100 per cent pollution-free. Apart from this, common affluent treatment plants will be set up at these villages in order to avoid pollution.