Haryana to hand over pollution certificate issuing to HSPCB

A proposal will soon be sent to the government to hand over the control of the companies that currently issue pollution certificates at petrol pumps to the state pollution control board instead of the transport department, said Minister Rao Narbir Singh.

The government is planning to hand over the responsibility of issuing pollution certificates at petrol pumps from private companies to Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), officials said on Thursday, adding that the decision was announced following a high-level meeting between state officials, chaired by forest and environment minister Rao Narbir Singh.

“No industrial or sewage-polluted water shall be discharged into the Yamuna river,” Singh said. (HT Photo)

During the meeting, Singh said pollution testing equipment installed at petrol pumps should be regularly inspected. “A proposal will soon be sent to the government to hand over the control of the companies that currently issue pollution certificates at petrol pumps to the state pollution control board instead of the transport department,” added Singh.

Officials were also directed to install CCTV cameras on 11 drains in the Yamuna catchment areas to monitor Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). “No industrial or sewage-polluted water shall be discharged into the Yamuna river,” Singh said.

The HSPCB officials will now be sharing the list of tractor-tankers lifting sewage water from colonies with the police department, as per the latest directives. Singh called upon officials to arrange mandatory receipts for tankers before the disposal of STP water at designated sites in the Yamuna catchment areas.

According to official data, 242 tankers are registered with the department in the Yamuna catchment area. Police were directed to set up check posts, especially in Sonipat and Panipat districts, and seize illegal tankers.

“Pollution control should not remain limited to paper, but rather its tangible impact should be visible in the lives of the public. Officials to ensure that all departments work in coordination with each other,” Singh said during the meeting.