PPCB puts foot down, refuses clearance to distillery in Punjab’s Zira

Malbros International Private Limited at Zira, Ferozepur, has been denied consent to operate by the Punjab Pollution Control Board

Malbros International Private Limited at Zira, Ferozepur, has been denied consent to operate by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). In the latest order that came on Tuesday, PPCB said the decision was made based on the tests on water and soil samples taken from 28 tubewells at the factory site. The copy of the order is with HT.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in January, had ordered the closure of the unit, which had been lying shut since July 2022 due to a sit-in protest at the factory gates. (File Photo)

“The board’s observations, combined with the findings of expert committees regarding the water and sludge chemical report, indicated that the industry did not meet the required conditions for operation,” the order stated. The order emphasized that the factory failed to comply with at least six crucial consent conditions set by the board to regulate the operation of a large-scale red-category unit.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, in January, had ordered the closure of the unit, which had been lying shut since July 2022 due to a sit-in protest at the factory gates. The board had withdrawn the consent to operate for more than a year following which the factory owners moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, which instructed the board to provide a detailed explanation for its decision. PPCB conducted two hearings after the high court order.

The order also identifies the specific issues related to the factory.

According to the order, the water and soil sludge were found to be environmentally damaging. “While heavy metals are naturally occurring and essential to life, their accumulation in organisms can make them toxic,” the order said. The report highlighted the presence of heavy metals such as Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Mercury, which can significantly pollute the environment.

The order emphasised that the accumulation of heavy metals in groundwater logically points to the liquor factory as the source, considering the reports from the expert committee and the absence of any other plausible explanation.

A committee consisting of experts, including Dr PPS Pannu, Dr Dharminder Singh, Dr Kuldip Singh, Dr AS Toor, and Dr JP Singh, reported that the affected villages exhibited relatively higher soil pH.

Regarding the sludge samples, there was a gradual increase in the concentration of heavy metals such as chromium, lead, nickel, and arsenic up to a depth of 180 cm.

The factory is owned by former MLA Deep Malhotra of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The inhabitants of 44 villages of its neighbouring areas are sitting in protest since July 24.