Gurgaon: Polluting industries to be moved out of housing areas

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will conduct a survey from Monday to identify polluting industrial units that are operating in residential areas.

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will conduct a survey from Monday to identify polluting industrial units that are operating in residential areas.

Apart from the existing ‘Red’, ‘Orange’ and ‘Green’ categories of industries, the HSPCB introduced a new category - White - that does not requires environmental clearance. (HT FIle Photo)

The survey is being initiated after the state government ordered to work out modalities for relocating industries from residential areas to comply with the pollution control norms which state that industrial units should operate outside residential zones. In Gurgaon, there are 2,000 industries that mix with residential zones.

On March 5, the Centre framed a new policy based on pollution load and asked all states to classify non-polluting industries under a new category according to their requirements.

Apart from the existing ‘Red’, ‘Orange’ and ‘Green’ categories of industries, the HSPCB introduced a new category - White - that does not requires environmental clearance.

“As we have new parameters to identify industries, which are the source of pollution in the city, we are conducting a survey to recognise the units that should be removed,” Bhupender Singh, regional pollution officer, HSPCB, said.

The new criteria is developed under the guidance of the Ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF) based on the pollution index, which is a function of emissions (air pollutants), effluents (water pollutants), hazardous wastes generated and consumption of resources.

An official of HSPCB said after analysis of the survey report, notices will be issued to the units for relocation.

The white category industries may continue as per existing norms of the pollution department. The units under the orange category would be given two years to comply with pollution control norms.

“A span of six months will be provided to green units to shift out of the residential areas. We do not have any red category units in residential areas of the city,” Singh said.

•Industrial Sectors having Pollution Index score of 60 and above - Red category

• Industrial Sectors having Pollution Index score of 41 to 59 – Orange category

•Industrial Sectors having Pollution Index score of 21 to 40 – Green category

•Industrial Sectors having Pollution Index score upto 20 - White category