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It is submitted that show cause notice for refusal of consent to operate under the Air Act, 1981 was issued to the industry alongwith an opportunity of personal hearing before the worthy Chairperson of the Board on 22.01.2026, preponed to 21.01.2026.
Sh. Sanket Thapar (DGM), Sh. Ravi Deshwal, Manager and Sh. Samerjeet Goyal, Environmental consultant of the industry attended the hearing and submitted written reply to the notice issued, which has been taken on record. They further stated that:-
i) They are using Natural Gas (NG)/Fuel Gas (FG) as fuel in these furnaces, which are among the cleanest fuels. No solid or liquid fuel is used.
ii) They have installed an Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) on all Refinery and Petrochemical stacks, and real- time data of all pollutants, including particulate matter emitted from these stacks, is transmitted to the CPCB/PPCB portal. As per the data recorded by these monitors at the time of manual sampling, the concentration of all pollutants, including particulate matter, was well within the permissible limits.
iii) PPCB carries out manual sampling of all stacks regularly. As per the results of these manual samplings, no pollutant, including particulate matter, has ever exceeded the prescribed standards.
iv) Copies of the analysis results of manual stack sampling carried out by the Board during 2024 and 2025.
v) They have also been conducting third-party monitoring of stack emission sampling through a laboratory approved by MoEF&CC and accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), on a regular basis. As per the analysis results of these stack samplings, all parameters have consistently been found well within the prescribed limits.
vi) Copies of the analysis results of stack sampling conducted during 2024 and 2025 are enclosed herewith as Annexure-
vii) The installation of CCTV cameras has been successfully completed, and the flare stack visuals are now accessible to the PPCB through established server connectivity.
viii) Furthermore, they have received confirmation email from PPCB, Patiala, on 26th November 2025, regarding the flare CCTV camera connectivity, along with a screenshot of the live visuals.
ix) The Flare Gas Recovery System (FGRS) has been installed and mechanically completed on 05.12.2025 for the Petrochemical Plant (a copy of the Mechanical Completion Certificate of the FGRS is attached as Annexure-5) and subsequently, successfully commissioned on 15.12.2025.
x) On 31.12.2025, the Board team from the Regional Office, Bathinda also physically verified that the FGRS had been successfully commissioned.
After hearing the representatives of the industry, officers of the Board and considering the materials facts on record, the Chairperson of the Board decided that: -
1. The industry shall engage technical consultant having expertise in the field of Petroleum refinery / Petro chemical plant and get the technical audit of air polluting processes so as to ascertain the reasons for non-achieving the parameters w.r.t PNG based furnaces and suggest the remedial measures or upgrade the existing system to achieve the prescribed emission standards. Accordingly, the industry shall take remedial measures, upgrade the existing system /install new systems and shall submit the compliance thereto, within 06 months.
2. The industry shall submit a PERT chart, indicating clear timelines for phasing out the legacy hazardous waste (14,341 MT) lying at the Secured Landfill Facility (SLF), through co-processing or any other environmentally sound disposal technology, to the Regional Office, Bathinda, within one month. Thereafter, the industry shall also submit monthly progress report w.r.t PERT chart to the Regional Office, Bathinda.
3. The industry shall operate the ETP/ STP/APCDs regularly & efficiently so as to achieve the effluent/emissions standards prescribed by the Board at all the time.
4. The industry shall operate the Flare Gas Recovery System (FGRS) regularly & efficiently so as to ensure the maximum recovery of gas and there is no black smoke emission from the FGRS stack in future.
5. The industry shall provide the additional piezometers within the premises near the Secured Landfill Facility (SLF) for ground water monitoring, within one month.
6. The industry shall carry out ground water sampling after every six months and submit report to the Regional office of the Board.
7. The industry shall ensure that CCTV cameras installed at the unit are working and properly
connected with the server of PPCB at all times.
8. The industry shall get itself registered and establish connectivity of OCEMS with Online Data Acquisition and Monitoring System (ODAMS) portal of CPCB (https://cems.cpcb.gov.in) in order to ensure the compliance of the directions issued by CPCB u/s 18 (1) (b) of the Water Act, 1974 and Air Act, 1981 and thereafter submit compliance to the Board, within 07 days.
9. The industry shall repair and repaint the components of the Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) lying corroded, within 15 days.
10. The industry shall make a comparative assessment of the quantity of waste generated daily vis-a-vis the quantity treated through the composting facilities and accordingly, the industry shall develop vermicomposting pits for the scientific disposal and management of horticultural waste.
11. The industry shall undertake the repair of the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) located at Phulo Khari and make the drinking water RO plant operational, within 02 months.
12. The industry shall submit a plan showing five-year targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and enhancement of waste recycling to promote a Circular Economy, within 02 months. The targets shall also include measures to reduce water consumption through recycling and to achieve carbon neutrality by utilizing electricity generated through solar panels.
13. The industry shall submit a bank guarantee amounting to Rs. 5.0 Crores (Rs. Five Crore) within 10 days in the Regional Office of the Board, as an assurance to comply with the provisions of Water Act, 1974 and Air Act, 1981, the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 and / or any other environmental law applicable to it from time to time.
14. Bank guarantee amounting to Rs. 1.0 Crore (one crore) earlier submitted by the industry as an assurance for installation of flare gas recovery on its petrochemical flare system by 31.12.2025, be returned as the industry has installed the same within stipulated time period.
15. Consent to operate under the Air Act, 1981 be granted to the industry for six months with special condition that the industry shall comply with the decisions of personal hearing held on 21.01.2026, within stipulated time period.
16. The Environmental Engineer, Regional Office, Bathinda shall visit the industry as per protocol, to verify the submission of industry, emission & effluent sampling including ground water sampling and shall submit compliance of above said hearing decisions with conclusive recommendations in the matter.
Submitted for confirmation of the decisions of the proceedings of hearing dated 21.01.2026, please.
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