16 illegal factories in Noida shut for dumping waste into Hindon

Sixteen illegal clothing factories in Bahlolpur, Noida were closed by the Uttar Pradesh pollution control board (UPPCB) after residents complained about waste dumped into the Hindon River. The UPPCB will fine Noida factory owners who fail to operate polluting ?green industrial units?, according to officials. The factories dyed clothes with dangerous chemicals and dumped the ?red colour? waste directly into the river.

The Uttar Pradesh pollution control board (UPPCB) closed 16 illegal clothing factories in Bahlolpur, Noida, on Wednesday after residents complained to authorities that they were dumping waste into the Hindon River. UPPCB intends to fine Noida factory owners who fail to operate polluting “green industrial units,” said officials familiar with the matter on Wednesday.

The pollution board, police, and other government agencies cut power to these 16 factories, which dyed clothes with dangerous chemicals and dumped the “red colour” waste directly into the Hindon River, which merges with the Yamuna River in Noida’s Sector 151. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“We received complaints that some Bahlolpur clothing factories are located near the Hindon river. We planned to go after the polluting units on Tuesday night because of the complaints, but the unexpected rain prevented us. So we closed these garment factories early on Wednesday morning,” said Praveen Kumar, UPPCB Noida regional officer.

The pollution board, police, and other government agencies cut power to these 16 factories, which dyed clothes with dangerous chemicals and dumped the “red colour” waste directly into the Hindon River, which merges with the Yamuna River in Noida’s Sector 151.

The National Green Tribunal said in an order “not to put untreated sewage into drains or rivers because it also pollutes rivers.” (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

On February 25, 2020, the National Green Tribunal said in an order “not to put untreated sewage into drains or rivers because it also pollutes rivers.” According to officials, these actions are illegal, and UPPCB has the authority to fine offenders 5% of the project’s cost as an environmental penalty.

“We will fine the factory owners and take action against them,” Kumar said. While the 16 factories have been closed, they are yet to be sealed, said officials. “We have written to the Noida authority, requesting that these factories be sealed,” Kumar added.

In another development, the Noida authority has begun cracking down on factories that are illegally operating in Noida (CONFIRM). According to officials, there are 12,000 factories or industrial units on land allotted by the Noida authority; however, these are non-polluting units.

“We have directed staff to locate all illegal factories and other industrial units. Our teams are working to seal all of these units, which are working in non-industrial zones like the Bahlolpur area,” said Avinash Tripathi, Noida authority’s officer on special duty.