The city-based Bhagiradha Chemicals and Industries Limited has maintained that it is fully committed to high standards of environmental safety and community well-being.
In a release here on Friday, its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer A. Aravind Kumar said the BCIL operated in full compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations. “We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of environmental responsibility and core values of safety and integrity,” he said.
The BCIL’s clarification came in the wake of the Ongole Municipal Corporation adopting a resolution recently pressing for the relocation of the factory at a time when the matter was sub judice.
‘’The development raises questions about consistency and alignment of decisions taken at different levels of governance and underscores the complexity of balancing public interest with corporate responsibilities. We respect the legal process and are confident that the legal system will ensure fair and just resolution’‘, he said.
The charge that it caused severe groundwater and air pollution was ‘‘false and misleading,” he said. In this context, he referred to a report of a seven-member committee constituted by the District Collector on a direction from the High Court while hearing a public interest litigation.
The committee under the Ongole Revenue Division Officer found that ‘‘there is no effect on the groundwater quality due to the activities of the BCIL. No Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) were detected during inspection conducted in January 2023’‘, a copy of the report made available to the media, he said.
The company manufactures insecticides, pesticides and herbicides complying with international safety standards and exports a majority of its products to customers abroad.
