12 bulk drug companies served closure notice

These units have not taken permission and resorted to ‘un-consented’ manufacture of products: APPCB

The ‘un-consented’ manufacture of products and stepping up of quantity of production without permission leading to increased pollution load are the two factors based on which A.P. Pollution Control Board (APPCB) had served a closure notice to 12 bulk drug manufacturing units in Ranga Reddy and Medak districts.

The board is going to put up this argument to justify its closure orders, before the Appellate Court, here on Saturday, the board member secretary M. Ravi Chandra said.

The industries, however, refuted the charges of increasing pollution levels necessitating the issue of closure orders.

Board officials argue that the bulk drug units had not sought permission and resorted to ‘un-consented’ manufacture of products and increased their quantity of production. This is in violation of Appellate Authority directives that industries, before altering their production, ought to furnish all details pertaining to change in product mix or increase in production capacity.

This would enable the board to ensure that pollution load is not increased.

There are many more bulk drug units that increased production capacity without due consent and these cases will be heard by the Appellate Court every fortnight, informed officials.

“The increase in production capacity by these bulk drug units will eventually lead to an increase in pollution,” they argue.

‘No effect on environment’

The accused bulk drugs industries - including the well-known Aurobindo Pharma, Hetero Drugs and Cirex Pharmaceuticals - however, claim that their emissions have not increased despite increase in production quantity and introduction of new products.

They have contested APPCB’s closure orders saying that the board should only concern itself with pollution load and not with the quantity and products. This is in contrast to the proposal of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which seeks to keep a tab on quantity and products produced, pointed out officials. The APPCB task force had, on July 10, ordered the shutdown of all the units before July 23.