HYDERABAD: The Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) appears to have stepped up its enforcement drive following persistent media coverage on pollution and other environmental concerns,. The board has intensified its crackdown on industries violating regulations, ordering the closure of six units during its task force meeting held in November.
During the review of 49 industries across different zones, serious violations were identified in six units, leading to immediate closure or stop-production directives.
In the RC Puram division, three industries were found operating without valid permissions or in violation of consent conditions.
In the Hyderabad zone, Swarna Plastic, located in Nagaulapally village of Farooqnagar mandal, Rangareddy district, was closed on November 14 for operating without a valid Consent for Operation and for resuming production without revocation of an earlier stop-production order. The board also acted in the zonal office-Hyderabad region, where Gajula Umakanth, a fabric dyeing unit in Sircilla Municipality was issued closure orders for violating pollution-control regulations.
A senior official from TGPCB told TNIE, “Apart from these six closures, the PCB also imposed financial penalties in the form of bank guarantees on two other industries for lapses observed during inspections. Divjyot Chemicals, located in Chinna Shivannor village of Chegunta mandal in Medak district, was directed to furnish a Bank Guarantee of Rs 6 lakh for non-compliance. Similarly, Hexagon Drug Laboratories, situated in the IDA Bollaram industrial area of Sangareddy district, was also penalised with a Rs 6 lakh Bank Guarantee. The board reported that no Bank Guarantees were forfeited during the month.”