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PPCB slaps ₹6.4 crore fine on Ludhiana dyeing unit for dumping untreated waste into sewerage
The fine, imposed on the dyeing unit in Ludhiana for violations between 2005 and 2019, is to be paid within 15 days or the PPCB will initiate legal action to recover the amount
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has imposed a fine of ₹6.42 crore on a dyeing unit located in the industrial area for discharging untreated wastewater into the sewer system.
The fine, imposed for violations between 2005 and 2019, is to be paid within 15 days or the PPCB will initiate legal action to recover the amount. Additionally, PPCB plans to impose an additional fine of fine of ₹3 crore for violations from 2019 to 2024, officials aware of the developments said.
This action against Sumit Knit Fab comes after a complaint filed by one Sunil Verma with the PPCB and MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal.
The PPCB had launched an investigation into Sumit Knit Fab following complaints from the monitoring committee formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The complaints were based on an NGT letter dated August 20, 2020, which sought an inquiry and an action-taken report within 71 days.
A PPCB team visited the dyeing unit on October 28, 2020. During the visit, proprietor Rishi Jethl was unable to produce old records, bills or any justification regarding bills from August 14 and August 18, 2007, related to dyeing and washing. The complainant had attached documents from the sales tax department regarding the unit’s sale and purchase transactions and permission from the municipal corporation. Consequently, letters were issued to the MC and the assistant excise and taxation commissioner on January 11, 2021, to confirm the date and year when the industry began its operations.
A special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the allegations and found that the unit had no record of disposing of 2,026 kilolitres of water, raising suspicion that the unit was dumping untreated waste into the sewer system. Additionally, the unit used unmetered water and failed to provide maintenance bills for its purification system. The report highlighted other deficiencies as well and the PPCB snapped the unit’s electricity supply.
The PPCB sent a notice to the unit’s owner, stating that the excise and taxation department’s report confirmed the unit had been purchasing dyes and chemicals since 2005. It added that the unit operated till 2019 without valid consent under the Water Act and the Air Act, discharging untreated effluents into the sewer system.
