NGT pulls up HSPCB over waste lapses at Naurangpur concrete plant

The tribunal sought an affidavit within a week after finding KSY Buildcon failed to address compliance under HoWM Rules despite earlier inspections.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) for failing to act against a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant in Naurangpur that has been operating without a valid authorisation for handling hazardous and other waste.

The tribunal, in its latest order, has directed the board to file an affidavit within a week, ahead of the next hearing scheduled on July 14, in a case filed by Naurangpur locals against the plant owners for running the unit in a residential area and in close proximity to a school.

“HSPCB is granted further one week time to file the affidavit disclosing how Respondent 6 (KSY Buildcon) is operating without the authorisation under the Hazardous and Other Wastes Management and Transboundary Movement (HoWM) Rules, when the said rules are undisputedly applicable,” the order said.

Under HoWM authorisation, waste-generating units are required to identify and classify hazardous waste, store it as per prescribed standards, maintain records, and hand over hazardous waste only to authorised recyclers or treatment facilities.

In an inspection report submitted on June 29, the HSPCB had pointed out that the plant, operated by KSY Buildcon on Tauru Road, failed to implement adequate air pollution control measures, lacked sufficient green cover, and had not obtained prior authorisation for handling hazardous waste generated at the unit.

Residents had alleged that the plant, located around 500 metres from a local school, discharged polluted wastewater onto village roads and contributed to rising dust pollution due to inadequate air pollution control measures (APCMs), including the absence of proper bag filters and dust collectors on cement silos.

The tribunal noted that similar non-compliance under the HoWM Rules was flagged during the board’s previous inspections held in April. In its reply to the HSPCB’s notice, KSY Buildcon stated that it had installed air pollution control measures at the cement storage shed, sprinklers, metalled internal roads, and plantations around its 16-foot-high boundary wall.

However, the unit failed to address the lack of compliance with HoWM Rules in its response, the tribunal observed.