| File Note: |
The note of Regional Office may kindly be perused……………
The industry was large scale red category unit and earlier the industry was granted renewal of consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 vide no. CTOW/Renewal/LDH4/2024/25511186 dated 30.05.2024, which is valid upto 30.06.2024 for manufacturing of Skimmed Milk Powder, Dairy Whitener And Whole Milk Powder @ 20.55 Metric Tonnes/Day, Pasteurized Milk, UHT Milk @ 47.94 Metric Tonnes/Day, Curd, Ghee, Cream, Butter, Butter Milk(Lassi) And Fresh Paneer/Cheese @ 71.23 Metric Tonnes/Day with discharge of trade effluent @ 392 KLD into sewer after treatment through ETP and domestic effluent @ 8.0 KLD into sewer with suitable and special conditions that……………:
1. The industry shall comply with the directions issued by the Punjab Govt vide notification dated 10.10.2019 regarding segregation of trade effluent into MC sewer in this period.
2. The industry shall stop discharging its trade effluent into sewer by 31.03.2023 as per the directions of the Govt.
3. The industry will bound to comply with the final decisions/outcomes of the report of the said committee…………….
Further it is informed that as per the directions issued by the Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Govt. of Punjab vide order dated 10.10.2019, the industry shall not discharge industrial effluent whether treated / partially treated or untreated into municipal sewer…………….
A meeting was taken by the Chairman of the Board on 16.09.2021 to review the compliance of directions issued u/s 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 by the Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Punjab vide order dated 10.10.2019 for segregation of industrial effluents discharged into municipal sewer of Ludhiana. In the said meeting all the units were directed to take immediate steps in a time bound manner for achieving the stringent standards and segregate their industrial effluents from municipal sewer and to submit their proposals within one month with timelines to comply within 6 months…………….
Another review meeting was taken by the Competent Authority of the Board on 13.07.2022, wherein it was decided that the industries shall take adequate steps to stop discharging their industrial effluent into municipal sewer, Ludhiana by 31.03.2023 and period of consent be reduced suitably to ensure compliance of the directions given by the Govt. 5. A meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble Cabinet Minister dated 19.10.2022 and it was decided that all the Large-Scale Dyeing units discharging their effluent into municipal sewer, Ludhiana shall take adequate steps to stop discharging their industrial effluent into municipal sewer, Ludhiana by 31.03.2024…………….
The industry has not submitted any progress report or PERT chart for compliance of directions issued by the Govt. vide orders dated 10.10.2019 to stop discharging their industrial effluent into municipal sewer Ludhiana by 31.03.2024.……………
Accordingly, show cause notice for refusal of consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 was issued to the industry with an opportunity of personal hearing before Hon'ble Chairman of the Board on 09.08.2023, wherein it was decided that:
1. The industry shall submit complete plan for re-utilization of treated wastewater either into the process or onto land for plantation / irrigation by 31.08.2023. The plan shall be comprehensive and shall include complete details w.r.t estimate, PERT chart for timely completion of activities to be undertaken for the project, agreement with the nearby land owners for discharge of treated wastewater onto land for plantation.
2. The proposal to be submitted by the industry shall be reviewed in the mid of the Month of October, 2023 at the level of Chairman of the Board.
3. The application for consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 shall be decided after receiving the plan to be submitted by the industry for utilization of treated trade effluent…………….
The proceedings of aforesaid personal hearing were conveyed to the industry vide Board's letter no. 4736-37 dated 17.08.2023…………….
In compliance of the hearing decisions, the industry has not submitted the PERT chart, however, has submitted re-presentation wherein it has been mentioned that 'In the Industrial Focal Point Ludhiana there is no scope for irrigation and no land available for plantation, our neighbouring industries are mechanical/electrical in nature and they have refused to take any treated water for process from us'. Further, it has also been mentioned that, 'we compulsorily have to discharge the treated effluent as it is generated everyday form the processing of fresh milk to milk powder'. Besides the above, it has submitted the copy of receipt for disposal of effluent into MCL sewer and test report of treated effluent within the prescribed limits of the Board. The industry has requested to grant consent to operate…………….
The industry failed to comply with the decisions of hearing dated 09.08.2023 and thus is violating the provisions of Water Act, 1974. Accordingly, show cause notice for refusal of consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 was issued to the industry with an opportunity of personal hearing before Worthy Chairman of the Board on 30.10.2023, wherein it was decided that: ……………
1. Consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 applied by the industry be refused.
2. The industry shall submit a plan for re-use of its trade effluent generated from the process, within 15 days.
3. A letter be written to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana to look into the matter that whether executive engineer is competent to issue letter to allow discharge into sewer or not in contradiction to Govt. letter.……………
Accordingly, consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 was refused vide no. CTOW/Renewal/LDH4/2023/21828078 dated 21.11.2023…………….
The industry was visited by the officer of the Board on 03.01.2024 and it was observed as under:
1. The industry is still discharging treated waste water into MC sewer and has not submitted plan for re-use of its trade effluent generated from the process in compliance to decision no. 2 of the hearing.
2. The industry is running without consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 of the Board.
3. The industry is not complying with the decision no. 2 of the personal hearing given before Chairman of the Board on 30.10.2023, hence, the industry is deliberately violating the provisions of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
Accordingly, notice u/s 33-A of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended in 1988 was issued to the industry with an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chairman of the Board 11.03.2024. The industry has informed through email to the Board on dated 09.03.2024 that the authorized director has come across a personal emergency and will not be available on 11.03.2024. The industry was further informed that an appeal has been filed by the company with the appellate authority against the refusal order issued by the Board. The hearing date for the appeal has been fixed for 27.03.2024…………….
After hearing, the officers of the Board, the Chairman of the Board decided as under: The industry be given another opportunity of personal hearing before Chairman of the Board, Patiala. Accordingly, notice to issue directions u/s 33-A of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended in 1988 was issued to the industry with an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chairman of the Board 23.04.2024, wherein it was decided as under:
1. The industry shall immediately re-apply for consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
2. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-4, Ludhiana shall process the consent application on merits in view of appeal decision…………….
It is pertinent to mention here that the industry has filed a appeal case before the appellate authority and case was listed for hearing on 27.03.2024. The appeal has been filed by the industry to set aside the refusal of Consent to Operate dated 21.11.2023 issued to the industry…………….
Regional Office reported that in the similar case of M/s Ludhiana Beverages, G.T Road, Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana having similar facts and contentions as raised by the appellant herein the Government of Punjab, Department of Science, Technology and Environment has constituted a committee of Officers of Punjab Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board, Water Supply and Sewerage Board and representatives of the industry to examine the alternatives available to reuse the treated trade effluent as well as review of the policy of the State Government whether any type of industry can be allowed discharge into MC sewer so as not to effect performance of STPs at terminal points.……………
In the said appeal case appellate authority has disposed off the appeal filed by M/s Supreme Agro Foods Pvt. Ltd., with the order that "Concluding the matter, I hereby set aside the orders dated 21.11.2023 passed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board refusing consent to operate to the appellant industry and refer this case also to the committee constituted by the Government of Punjab, Department of Science, Technology and Environment. The Punjab Pollution Control Board is directed to grant conditional consent to operate the appellant under the Water Act, 1974 with suitable conditions, till the report of the committee is received and further decision is taken to resolve the matter".
Further regarding this the matter to be put before the committee has been processed through e-office note no. 221988 and 1st meeting of the committee has been held on 13.06.2024 under the Chairmanship of Chief Environmental Engineer, Ludhiana…………….
Now the industry has applied for renewal of consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 through OCMMS with request…………….
The industry has already deposited consent fee, which is adequate upto 31.03.2029 as verified by the Regional Office…………….
The industry was visited by the AEE of RO on 04.06.2024 and it was observed as under:
1. The industry was in operation during the visit and engaged in manufacturing of dairy products…………….
2. The industry has installed ETP for treatment of untreated trade effluent generated from the washing process and consisting components Screen Chamber, Equalization tank, DAF system, Buffer tank, UASB reactor, Clarifier, Aeration tank, Lamella Clarifier, Filters. The entire untreated trade effluent is being collected in the equalization tank of ETP at C-181. No bypass has been observed during the visit…………….
3. The treated trade effluent & domestic effluent is being discharged into PSIEC sewer. Sample was collected on 03.01.2024 from final outlet of ETP and as per analysis report was received from ZL, Ludhiana the concentration of various parameters at the outlet of ETP are found to be pH=6.9, TSS=12 mg/l, TDS=1125 mg/l, COD=8 mg/l, BOD=BDL mg/l, Oil & Grease=BDL parameters are found within the permissible limits of the Board…………….
4. The industry has installed OCEMS at the outlet of the ETP and same was in operation during the visit and readings of the various parameters were noted to be pH=7.4, COD=20 mg/l, BOD=8.3 mg/l, TSS=3.5 mg/l and same is connected with the Board server…………….
5. The industry has installed the flow meter at outlet of the ETP and the reading was noted as 221340.8 m3 and the flow rate was noted as 5.5 m3/hour during visit and lastly the reading on 06.02.2023 was noted to be 154555 m3. As such, the average discharge of the ETP outlet from 06.02.2023 to 04.06.2024 was calculated as 137.70 KLD, which is within the consented capacity i.e. 392 KLD…………….
6. The industry has maintained the daily record of the flow meter reading as well as energy meter reading of the ETP…………….
Thereafter, RO was requested to incoporate the decisions of the 1st meeting. Now, RO reported that that 1st meeting has been held under the Chairmanship of Chief Environmental Engineer, Ludhiana on 13.06.2024 at 3:30 PM to discuss the matter regarding the request/ representation made by M/s Supreme Agro foods Pvt. Ltd. (Unit-II), C-181, Phase-6, Focal Point, Ludhiana w.r.t. directions passed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, wherein it was decided as under:-
1. The industry be asked to give presentation before the committee regarding sources, characteristics of effluent, type of treatment and other option available with the industries for disposal of their treated trade effluent. They will send a copy of presentation to Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-4, Ludhiana at email eero4ldh@gmail.com within 07 days.
2. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-4, Ludhiana shall further circulate the presentation of industries to various committee members through email, so as to deliberate the same in the next meeting.
3. In the meantime, the Competent Authority may be requested to allow more time to committee to deliberate the matter and to give its recommendations.
4. The next meeting of committee be scheduled after 3 weeks. As matter is under consideration of Competent Authority, as proposed by RO, it is recommended that renewal of Consent to Operate under the Water Act, 1974 may be granted to the industry for one year with the special condition that the industry will bound to comply with the final decisions/outcomes of the report of the said committee, please.
Competency : Hon'ble Chairman of the Board |
