No green nod for new Noida industries (Times of India 13 April 2012)

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal ordered a ban on environmental clearances for any new industry or expansion of the existing ones in areas falling under New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) on Thursday. The order was in response to a petition filed by an area resident Sanjay Agnihotri, who had raised ecological concerns in Noida, the 12th most polluted zone in the country.
The two-judge bench of G K Pandey and A Suryanarayan Naidu said, "We direct that no further environmental clearance shall be granted to any of the new industrial units nor any operating industry shall be permitted to expand in Noida or change in product-mix nor consent to establish and operate in case of defaulting units should be granted without obtaining prior permission from this Tribunal." Taking the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and NOIDA to task, the bench noted that despite repeated notices neither body had appeared before the court and it asked the member-secretary of CPCB and the chairperson or any other officer of the Authority to be present on May 8, the next day of hearing.

The court ordered the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to conduct on-the-spot inspections and submit a report to the bench about the extent of industrial pollution. It also directed UPPCB to take action against industries that are flouting green norms. It said, "The matter being very serious, UPPCB is directed to conduct spot inspection on war footing." The report is to include information on the number of industries not complying with environmental standards and regulations, the amount of hazardous waste being generated by each unit and plants operating without effluent treatment plants, besides other critical data. The CPCB has also been asked to conduct air quality survey in adjoining areas of Noida like Mayur Vihar, Vasundhara Enclave and villages located within a radius of 15 km from its border.
The petitioner had in his plea said that though the Union environment ministry put a moratorium on new industries in the cluster, it was removed later. He claimed the lifting of the moratorium in Noida was based on a spurious plea that "the local stakeholders have initiated some work on implementation of submitted action plans..."