HYDERABAD: The Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) has imposed penalties totaling over Rs 2.3 crore on 57 industries across the state between January 2021 and July 2025 for violations related to pollution control, according to data accessed by TNIE.
The fines were levied on companies in sectors such as steel, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, real estate, construction, and dairy for breaches of environmental norms. Penalties ranged from Rs 50,000 to Rs 48 lakh, depending on the severity of violations.
Among the biggest defaulters were Aandham Homes, penalised Rs 48 lakh in 2023 for construction without approval of sewage treatment plants and causing odour nuisance from its STP, and Nivas Projects, fined Rs 24 lakh in Rangareddy district. Sree Rajeswari Dairy Products faced a Rs 12 lakh penalty in Mahbubnagar for pollution-related violations.
In 2021, fines totaling
Rs 21 lakh were levied on nine industries, including ICOMM Tele in Medchal-Malkajgiri, Sri Shakti Steel and Alloys in Rangareddy, and NSS Starch in Gadwal. The following year, Rs 15 lakh was collected in penalties from companies such as Sundar Ispat Ltd, Mahaveer Ferro Alloys, and Radical Bio-Organics. In 2023, penalties peaked at Rs 1.12 crore, with Aandham Homes fined Rs 48 lakh and Nivas Projects Rs 24 lakh. Officials attributed the spike to stricter monitoring and surprise inspections.
Penalties dropped to Rs 22 lakh in 2024, spread among smaller firms such as Kundana Techno Tex, Pirakini Life Sciences, and MTAR Technologies. By mid-2025, fines had already reached Rs 60 lakh, with Sree Rajeswari Dairy Products fined Rs 12 lakh and Vins Bio Products Rs 8 lakh.
Officials said the fines were based on inspection reports and violations of consent conditions under the Water and Air Acts.
A senior board member told TNIE, “Wherever industries were found to be discharging untreated effluents, causing air pollution, or failing to maintain effluent treatment plants, action was initiated.” He added that their objective is not just to collect fines but to ensure compliance as repeat violators are also issued closure orders if they continue to disregard environmental norms.
However, environmentalists argue that penalties alone are insufficient to deter polluters. “For many big industries, a fine of a few crores is still cheaper than investing in proper effluent treatment. Unless the board makes non-compliance unviable, polluters will continue to get away,” said Srinivasan, an environmental activist. Noting the human cost, another activist, Mohammed Abid, added, “Communities living near these industrial zones are the ones paying the real price—with contaminated groundwater, foul odour, and respiratory problems. Penalties on paper don’t clean up our lakes and air.”
Residents from pollution hotspots such as IDA Jeedimetla, Patancheru, IDA Bolarum, and Bachupally said the fines were ineffective unless industries are strictly monitored or seized. “People here have got used to the smell and the smoke, but that doesn’t make it normal. We worry about what it’s doing to our children’s health,” said Ravi, a resident of IDA Jeedimetla. A resident of Patancheru complained, “Every monsoon, untreated industrial water overflows into nearby colonies. The fines may sound big, but nothing changes on the ground.”
The records underscore that despite multiple penalties, many areas including Jeedimetla, Patancheru, Cherlapally, and parts of Rangareddy continue to remain pollution hotspots in Telangana.