Hyderabad: Over 150 electroplating units in the Balanagar industrial area that were marked for relocation to a site near Automotive Industrial Park in Toopran, Medak district, are facing opposition from the villagers at their proposed new home.
Effluents from the electroplating industries in their current location at Balanagar have polluted local water bodies and also Hussainsagar, where their discharge ultimately lands up through the Kukatpally nala.
“We have taken the land at the area identified by the TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation to set up our plants. However, there is resistance from the local villagers even before we began relocating our units. We have asked the officials to ensure that we get clearance from the local panchayat body, to avoid any issues in the future,” said the owner of an electroplating unit in Balanagar.
P. Nageshwar Rao, TSICC, zonal manager, said, “Over 150 electroplating units have already together applied for land in Toopran and many are still applying.”
A Telangana State Pollution Control Board official said, “It had been a regular affair. Several electroplating industries were issued closure notice for violating the pollution control norms as they released effluents into the canal openly.”
A senior officer of the TSIIC said, “The relocation of industries was aimed at reducing the pollution and other related issues like traffic congestion, by facilitating proper infrastructure.”
