The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered closure of two country liquor manufacturing units in Ganjam district of Odisha.
This directive has also brought to fore an allegation that none of these manufacturing units in Ganjam has necessary permission from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to establish and operate. All the 79 country liquor manufacturing units in Ganjam district are allegedly running illegally without the SPCB permission. Another petition is pending with the NGT urging closure of all the polluting country liquor manufacturing units in Ganjam district that are running without environmental clearance.
Recently, through an order passed on May 10 by its Kolkata bench, the NGT has ordered closure of two country liquor units at Polasara. These units were operating on the banks of Dhanei river in the area under Polasara local urban body. Social activist and peasants’ leader Brundaban Behera had approached the NGT in 2015 against these two polluting units.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Behera’s legal counsel Biranchi Narayan Mohapatra said both these units were dumping their wastes directly in the Dhanei river and were also causing immense air pollution. So, it was evident that these units were violating the Air Prevention and Control Pollution Act, 1981, the Water Prevention and Control Pollution Act, 1974, and Environment Protection Act, 1974, Mr Mohapatra added.
The two units were operating since 2005 without proper SPCB permission.
The Kolkata Bench of the NGT had issued notices to the Odisha chief secretary, Ganjam District Collector and Odisha SPCB. SPCB officials had made an on-the-spot enquiry about these two units at Polasara and filed a report to the NGT. The SPCB had also issued a show cause notice to owners of both these units.
Meanwhile, the owners had requested the Ganjam district administration to shift their units to different place. But the NGT Bench had opined that even if these units are to be shifted, they should not operate till they obey the laws related to environment protection. As per the NGT, till then, these units should remain closed, said Mr Mohapatra. According to him, this decision would make licensed country liquor manufacturers conscious about environmental laws so that they do not endanger health of general public through water and air pollution. Moreover, it would also make administration conscious that no licensed country liquor manufacturing units should get established or be allowed to operate without clearance from the SPCB, he added.
