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Subject: Proceedings of the personal hearing given by Chairperson of the Board on 15.01.2026 w.r.t show cause notice for refusal of consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 - M/s Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited, Ladhowal, Ludhiana.
The following were present:
On behalf of PPCB
Er. Lavneet Kumar Dubey, Member Secretary
Er. R.K. Ratra, CEE, Ludhiana
Er. Kuldeep Singh, SEE, ZO-2, Ludhiana
On behalf of PAIC
Sh. Ranjit Jakhu, General Manager
Senior Environmental Engineer, Ludhiana brought out that the project is a Mega Food Park established for the operation of food processing industries at Ladhowal.
Earlier, the PAIC was afforded an opportunity of personal hearing before Chairman of the Board on 09.11.2022 postponed to 10.11.2022 w.r.t show cause notice for refusal of the ‘Consent to operate’ under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, wherein it was decided as under:-
1. The PAIC shall install electromagnetic flow meter at the final out of CETP within 02 months.
2. The PAIC shall commission its Solid Waste Treatment Plant by January, 2023.
3. Consent to operate under Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 be granted upto 31.03.2025 with special condition that the industry shall dispose off its effluent onto land for plantation in environmentally sound manner.
4. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall visit the industry after January, 2023, verify the compliances made by it and send the report/ recommendations, accordingly.
The PAIC was granted Consent to Operate under the Water Act, 1974 vide no. CTOW/Renewal/LDH3/2022/19688035 dated 30.11.2022, which had expired on 31.03.2025. The said consent was granted for discharged of trade effluent @ 2 MLD onto land for plantation after treatment in a common effluent treatment plant of capacity 2 MLD with following additional conditions that:
1. The industry shall dispose off its effluent onto land for plantation in environmentally sound manner.
2. The PAIC shall install electromagnetic flow meter at the final out of CETP within 02 months.
3. The PAIC shall commission its Solid Waste Treatment Plant by January, 2023.
4. The industry will obtain the permission for the use/abstraction of ground water as per the requirements of Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). In absence of obtaining of permission, the operation of the industry is entirely at its risk and cost and the Board will not be responsible for any loss, in case the CGWA will prohibit the abstraction/use of water on account of non-obtaining of such permission.
5. The industry shall comply with the manufacture, storage and import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 (as amended) and submit the details on onside emergency plan, safety reports and safety audit reports in accordance with the manufacture, storage and import of hazardous chemical rules, 1989, in case the industry or installation handling hazardous chemicals quantity equal to or more than the threshold quantity specified in the said rules.
The PAIC was granted Consent to Establish (NOC for expansion) under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 vide no. CTE/Exp/LDH3/2024/25325490 dated 13/08/2024, which had expired on 12/08/2025.
The PAIC applied for renewal of Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The site of the PAIC was visited by officer of the Board on 04.09.2025 and it was observed as under:-
1. The PAIC has installed electromagnetic flow meter at the final out of CETP, which was not working from the last 2 months. The PAIC has not maintained proper records of inlet and outlet values of the CETP.
2. As per CETP record, the treated effluent is approximately 1300 KLD. The PAIC has provided green area in 45 acre in which plantation area includes grass, orchard trees, which is not as per the norms.
3. The PAIC has not obtained the permission for the use/abstraction of ground water from CGWA/PWRDA.
4. The PAIC failed to submit the details of on-site emergency plan, safety reports and safety audit reports in accordance with the manufacture, storage and import of hazardous chemical rules, 1989.
The PAIC was not complying with the conditions of Consent to Operate granted to it and thus violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The PAIC was issued notice for refusal of consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 vide letter no. 6081 dated 27.10.2025. The reply submitted by the PAIC was found not satisfactory.
Accordingly, show cause notice for refusal the Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was issued to the PAIC with an opportunity of personal hearing before Chairperson of the Board on 07.01.2026 postponed to 15.01.2026.
Sh. Ranjit Jakhu, general manager on behalf of the PAIC attended the hearing and submitted a written reply which was taken on record. He stated that the PAIC has installed two EMF meters at the inlet and outlet of the CETP and submitted copies of record of the same. He further informed that PAIC does not have its own civil and horticulture wing, so to execute the horticulture work, the PAIC has requested the horticulture wing of PWD (B&R) to carryout the plantation work in 45 acres. The survey had already been conducted on 23.12.2025 and requisite tender shall be floated at the earliest. He informed that the PAIC has planted eucalyptus in 3 acres of green area. Regarding permission of PWRDA, he informed that PAIC has applied for renewal of the same with the PWRDA and is under process. He further informed that no hazardous chemical is stored or treated in CETP as the CETP is used only to treat effluent of Food Processing Industries. He assured to abide by all the requisite norms and guidelines of PPCB. He further assured that there will be no stagnation of treated wastewater in the plantation area in future.
After hearing the general manager of the PAIC and officers of the Board and considering the material facts of the case, the Chairperson of the Board decided as under: -
1. The PAIC shall operate its CETP regularly and efficiently, so as to achieve its prescribed standards in future. It shall also maintain record of energy meter as well as the wastewater received at the CETP as well as the wastewater treated...............................
2. The PAIC shall develop the proposed plantation area scientifically as per Karnal Technology so as to handle the treated wastewater of the CETP, within 03 months. It shall be ensured that the treated wastewater is provided for plantation in line with the plantation area developed........................
3. The PAIC shall ensure that there is no stagnation of treated/untreated wastewater in the plantation area anytime in future.....................
4. Short term consent for 06 months under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 be granted to the PAIC with the above said conditions.............................
5. The Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall visit the project after one month and submit report w.r.t compliance of the provisions of environmental laws with conclusive recommendations...........................
Submitted for confirmation of decisions and conveying it to all the concerned for compliance, please.
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