The AP Pollution Control Board had on Tuesday issued closure orders to 12 bulk drug industrial units in Medak and Ranga Reddy districts, directing them to stop all industrial activities with effect from July 23, 2012.
But this does not definitively signify the end of their illegal activities, say industry sources. They can draw upon the rulebook’s many provisions.
Contrary to rumour, none of the employees will lose their jobs since the units have not been asked to completely close down. In fact, everything is reversible if the units attend to the APPCB’s objections.
A highly placed source said that the units could go to the Appellate Authority against the PCB’s orders. Even if they lose to PCB’s claims, the drug units will have a meeting with the PCB task force. Then, like in the case of erring hospitals and the disposal of bio-medical waste, these units will be asked to furnish bank guarantees and assurances that they would not henceforth violate norms, and if they did, the guarantees shall be forfeited.
“At the most, these units will be asked to observe a one-hour complete shut down,” said an official. A senior official, looking after the ‘environmental management’ aspect in one of these units, said APPCB was still going by assumptions of pollution creation when all the units had installed Zero Process Liquid Discharge systems.
“When there is no liquid discharged, there is no scope for creating water pollution. The solid waste so generated, the same has high calorific fuel value and is being sent to cement plants. No hazardous waste is being dumped in an unscientific way. Regarding the un-consented products, business exigencies demand quick manufacturing while APPCB’s procedure is not only time-consuming and complicated, but also full of unnecessary hurdles,” said the official.