The Supreme Court has warned the polluting industrial units. The State Pollution Control Boards will shut down all of these industrial units across the country if they do not have functional Primary Effluent Treatment Plants (PETPs) within three months of notice.
These PETPs are mandatory to stop the release of untreated waste in water bodies. Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) will issue notice to every single industrial unit by way of a common advertisement to ensure that they set up these PETPs as instructed by the law.
On the expiry of three months’ notice period, inspections will be done at all industrial units to check whether they have functional PETPs. If they do not have functional PETPs, then they will not be allowed to function any more.
Electricity supply boards will be asked to disconnect power supply to the defaulting industrial units and will resume only after they made their PETPs functional.
Furthermore, the government bodies have been told to establish Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) across the country within three years after acquiring land and completing other formalities.
The states will have to submit reports with regard to setting up of CETPs to the concerned bench of the National Green Tribunal.
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