In a bid to improve the air and water quality of the Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area, the State Pollution Control Board has collected an environmental compensation of Rs 3.2 crore in the last five years.
The compensation is levied on units that violate environmental pollution norms, in line with the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directive, which follows the “polluter pays” principle.
The amount highlights the negligence of industrial units that violate environmental standards to avoid spending on pollution control measures, thereby evading their social responsibility.
From 2019 to 2024, as many as 87 of the 2,919 industrial units in BBN were found violating various pollution control norms.
As a consequence, they were fined Rs 3.2 crore, according to a reply provided by the State Pollution Control Board in the recent budget session of the Vidhan Sabha in response to a query from Nalagarh MLA Hardeep Bawa.
The BBN industrial area houses 380 red category firms, 1,404 orange category firms, and 1,135 green category firms.
Red category industries, such as cement manufacturers, distilleries, and metal extraction units, have the highest pollution potential and are required to adopt stringent environmental controls. Orange category industries, which include bottling of gases and ice cream manufacturing, require moderate pollution control measures, while green category industries, like food processing, bakery and handloom units, have a lower environmental impact and face fewer regulatory requirements.
Usually they do not require installation of pollution control devices nor Consent to Establish or Consent to Operate from the pollution board.
The State Pollution Control Board has also taken strict action against non-compliant units, disconnecting the electricity supply of 27 industrial units, including four stone crushers in the Nalagarh area, since last year.
Officials found that erring units who require an upgrade of their pollution mitigation devices or fail to ensure their apt maintenance usually shy away from renewing their consent to operate from the State Pollution Control Board even though it is a mandatory requirement.
Instead of investing on pollution devices they prefer to pay the environmental compensation in lakhs reflecting their lack of concern for the environment.
