| File Note: |
Sub: Proceedings of the personal hearing given before Chief Environmental Engineer, Ludhiana on 18.03.2026 w.r.t. show cause notice for refusal of Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974- M/s Khanna Processor, Village Jamalpur Awana, Kakka Road, Tajpur Road, Ludhiana.
The following were present:
On behalf of Punjab Pollution Control Board
Er. Kuldeep Singh, SEE, ZO-2, Ludhiana
Er. Nikhil Gupta, EE, ZO-2, Ludhiana
On behalf of the industry
Sh. Anchit Khanna, Partner
Environmental Engineer, Zonal Office-2, Ludhiana brought out that the industry was granted Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 vide no. CTOW/Fresh/LDH3/2025/28636994 dated 13.06.2025, which had expired on 12.09.2025. The said consent was for Dyeing of Acrylic Yarn on Job Basis @ 4.080 Metric Tonnes/Day with discharge of trade effluent @ 477.0 KLD and domestic effluent @ 3.0 KLD into the conveyance system of CETP of 50 MLD capacity with a special condition that the industry shall not operate soft flow machines without written permission of the Board.
Thereafter, the industry filed an appeal against the special condition imposed by the Board in consent to operate granted on 13.06.2025 before the Appellate Authority-cum-Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Punjab u/s 28 of the Water Act, 1974 and u/s 31 of the Air Act, 1981. While disposing of the said appeal on 05.08.2025, the Appellate Authority observed as under:
“I deem it appropriate to relegate the matter to the competent authority of the Board with direction to decide the matter afresh after considering the analysis results of the trade effluent samples drawn from the outlet of the appellant industry into sewer line leading to 50 MLD CETP and also the undertaking given by the appellant especially in regard to installation and operation of OCEMS device for online monitoring of effluent discharge before the Appellate Authority.”
In compliance of above said directions, the wastewater sampling from the outlet of the industry into conveyance line leading to CETP of 50 MLD capacity was carried out on 03/11/2025 and was sent to Punjab Biotechnology Incubator (PBTI), Mohali and as per the analysis report received from PBTI, the concentration of parameter TDS is 824 mg/l.
The industry has applied for varied Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 for Dyeing of Yarn on Job Basis @ 4.380 T/day & dyeing & Finishing of all types of fabrics (PC, Polyester) @ 3.280 T/day with discharge of trade effluent @ 517 KLD and domestic effluent @ 3.0 KLD into CETP of 50 MLD capacity.
The case was examined and it was observed as under:-
1. In the appeal filed by the industry, the industry undertook to get installed an OCEMS device for online monitoring of effluent discharge. But the industry has still not made the OCEMS operational as per the commitment given during the case. Thus, the quality of the effluent discharged by the industry into the CETP cannot be adjudged.
2. Previous consent was granted for discharge of treated effluent to the tune of 477 KLD, but the industry has applied for obtaining consent for discharge of treated effluent to the tune of 517 KLD.
3. The industry has installed machinery for discharge of trade effluent to the tune of 620 KLD, but the previous consent was granted for discharge of trade effluent as well as domestic effluent to the tune of 480 KLD.
The SPV operating the CETP of capacity 50 MLD i.e. M/s Punjab Dyer Association was afforded an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chairman of the Board on 06.05.2025, wherein among other decisions, it was decided that no new NOC or NOC for expansion or varied Consent to Operate for increase in discharge of trade effluent shall be granted to the member units connected with the CETP.
The industry has installed new machinery without prior permission of the Board and thus, the industry is violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
Accordingly, show cause notice for refusal of Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was issued to the industry with an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chief Environmental Engineer, Ludhiana on 18.03.2026.
Sh. Anchit Khanna, partner of the industry attended the hearing and submitted a written reply which was taken on record. He stated that the OCEMS system for indicating value of TDS had already been installed in the industry since, 2025 but due to certain issues the reading was not displayed. However, the talks with the vendor were undergoing and he assured to resolve the matter within 15 days. He informed that the industry had dismantled two no. cabinet machines so as to ensure that the trade effluent generation of the industry is within 477 KLD as mandated by the previous consent. He submitted that in case the Board finds out that the industry can generate more trade effluent than 477 KLD, it can seal the same any time. He further informed that about 75% of production of the industry relates to acrylic yarn and the rest 25% is PC/Polyester fabric and the industry does not carry out cotton dyeing in any case. He assured that the total wastewater generation of the industry including the domestic effluent will never exceed 480 KLD. He requested to allow the industry to file revised consent application with latest machinery details and to return the present application.
After hearing the partner of the industry, officer of the Board and considering the material facts of the case, the Chief Environmental Engineer of the Board decided as under:
1. The industry shall ensure that the OCEMS installed by it are made operational and connected with the server of the Board, within 07 days so as to comply with the assurance made by it during the hearing of Appeal filed by it before the Appellate Authority-cum-Secretary to Govt. of Punjab, Department of STE.
2. The industry shall not operate the processes leading to generation of high TDS wastewater such as activities relating to Cotton/PC dyeing so as to ensure that the pollution load in terms of quality as well as quantity is not increased at the inlet of CETP.
3. The industry shall ensure that the trade effluent generated by the industry is not increased beyond 477 KLD as mandated by the Board in the previous consent granted by the Board to the industry. The industry shall ensure that no machinery contributing to discharge beyond the consented quantum is operated so as to comply with this decision and shall submit details of such machinery installed by it to the Board.
4. The present application of the industry for obtaining consent under the Water Act, 1974 be returned. The industry shall file fresh application for obtaining consent to operate of the Board under the Water Act, 1974 for dyeing of non-restricted products (in compliance of decision no.2 above) with discharge of trade effluent @ 477 KLD and domestic effluent @ 3 KLD along with list of machinery installed by the industry, within 15 days.
5. The industry shall maintain record of SCADA regularly without any lag.
6. The industry shall provide CCTV camera at the collection tank leading to CETP conveyance line and maintain backup of atleast 30 days’ time.
7. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall visit the industry to verify its contentions and submit report after clearly commenting on the maximum discharge of wastewater possible in light of the machinery installed by the industry as well as the discharge as per the SCADA system installed by the industry. Further action will be taken on the receipt of the report from the Regional Office.
Submitted for confirmation of decisions of the hearing and for conveying to the industry and Regional Office for compliance of above decisions, please.
|
