Hyderabad: As the state was focused on election results on May 16, the AP Pollution Control Board, which is being divided by June 2, was busy issuing permits to polluting industries.
Against the normal 35-40 permits a month (consent for establishments CFE) and (consent for operation CFO) to polluting industrial units, the PCB committee on May 16 gave permits to over 150 companies inside greater Hyderabad limits. Not just that, in the last three months, the PCB gave permits to over 700 polluting industrial units within the greater city limits.
“The PCB committee, comprising environmental scientists and experts issue establishment and operation consent after examination of the units by the task force. For this the committee used to meet once a month and issue permits to 35-40 companies. But, on May 16 alone over 150 units were given consents,” said an APPCB insider.
This has raised suspicion at a time when the state departments are focused on division. Surprisingly, permits were given even to companies which were rejected earlier for failing to live up to environmental standards.
The consent for establishments and operation issued by the PCB are periodic based on the type of polluting industries. For highly polluting industries like bulk drug units and others, which are in the red category, the companies have to renew consent once in a year. For those in orange and green categories, renewal of consent is needed every two and three years respectively.
“Generally CFE and CFO applications are rejected during the renewal as many industries fail to abide by pollution control standards. But, the consents to over 700 companies in just three months is something to be looked into,” said an environmental scientist of PCB requesting anonymity.
After June 2, the PCBs for both the states, Telangana and AP, are going to function from the same building in Sanathnagar in the city.
