Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 18: While all the 26 State Pollution Control Boards in the country have introduced the on-line NOC system for the industries, the J&K State Pollution Control Board is still reluctant to implement this system which was introduced about four years back.
Interestingly, the SPCB despite its function for the last over 27 years, has yet to get its two main Srinagar and Jammu Labs strengthened and recognized from the Central Pollution Control Board under Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the National Board for Accreditation of Laboratories (NBAL) under the Ministry of Science and Technology. And not only this, for this attitude of deliberate neglect, the SPCB is losing revenue worth over Rs 4 crore annually.
Official sources said that as per CPCB norms, only Board Labs are authorized to perform tests and technical staff of the Boards can take samples from various industrial units but under so called self monitoring system in J&K, the industrialists at their own are allowed to get the samples tested from the Labs outside the State and they manage to obtain NOCs on the basis of those reports. What is the credibility of those Labs and who authorized such Labs, only few insiders know.
Sources disclosed that Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand States have already introduced on-line NOC system to facilitate the industrialists but here in J&K this system was introduced during 2010-11 but it was not implemented till today. The Central Government provided full assistance for it and server worth Rs 2 crores was also dedicated besides Rs 40 lakh was spent on the software but this system was not put to use despite the fact that all the technical, scientific and clerical staff was trained for this purpose. Moreover, NIC Delhi is providing full technical support to the Board.
The outgoing Chairman Suresh Chug had taken some initiative to introduce this system and he invited the then Minister Incharge Forests and Environment Mian Altaf for the yet another formal inauguration about five months back but some vested interests in the Board are reluctant to introduce this system. About 100 odd files were also received online in last three months by the Board but they still await their disposal by the concerned officials. The online system is also better to contain mal-practices but it is not being encouraged by the officials at the helm of affairs.
The concerned Forest Ministry is sleeping over the issue for the last many years. They continued to ignore strengthening even the two main regional Labs of Srinagar and Jammu and get them recognized, despite the fact that several small States in the North East and neighbouring Himachal and Punjab etc have got their Labs recognized through these agencies and notified under the Environment Protection Act by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Sources said that J&K State Pollution Control Board came into existence in 1987 and set up Regional Labs at Jammu and Srinagar within two years. Huge equipment was procured by the Board for both the regional level Labs but it remained unutilized for years together and gathered dust allegedly for want of staff and some other reasons best known to the people manning the Board affairs. The insiders in the Board preferred Self Monitoring Reports (SMRs) of the industrial units, brick kilns, cement units etc in J&K to get examined and tested from the Private Labs outside the State that too, without any authorization.
As per figures available from PCB and Industries department nearly 5600 industrial units including brick kilns/ stone crushers in J&K are obtaining these SMRs every year allegedly by paying anything between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, depending upon the units/ category (Orange/ Red) while the Government rate of testing through Labs is Rs 2000 and Rs 2500. It is cheaper for them to get these tests done in PCB Labs. The State is losing at least Rs 4 crores in view of this `unholy nexus’.
The State Government has always tried to attract the huge industrial investment from outside and even former Chief Ministers also held meetings with top industrialists at Mumbai and other places but the SPCB is discouraging the unit holders from outside and even the locals as for Red, Yellow and Green categories, it has set the time limit for renewal / consent which is not prevalent in any other State. They have also curtailed the period as per their convenience setting aside CPCB guidelines. Even the uniform consent mechanism has been avoided. In last one decade, many chemicals, paints and metal based industry has come up at Samba, Bari Brahmana and Kathua. Keeping aside these hard facts and without bothering for the health hazards of the public, the Board has yet to awake up and go for strengthening its own Labs and get them recognized. The Board has sufficient Scientists and other technical staff but their services are not being properly utilized as most of them are made to sit idle.
Chairman, Pollution Control Board, J&K, Abdul Razak Khan when contacted expressed his ignorance over the recognition of SPCB Labs at Srinagar and Jammu but he maintained that sufficient scientific and technical staff was there in the Board and they have been taking samples and performing other assigned jobs. He said self monitoring is allowed by the Board as per past practice and some times Board Scientists cross check the same.
Referring to non-implementation of online system, Razak Khan claimed that Board could not establish On-line NOC system for the unit holders and there was problem in system operation. Moreover, Board did not have sufficient trained and dedicated staff for this system. He claimed that there was shortage of manpower with the Board as well. The Board Labs are also performing tests regarding air and water monitoring. He said the Board intends to purchase the required equipment and after fulfilling all the requisites, the Board will try its best to get its Labs recognized for the purpose. The Chairman avoided to comment on the question that the State was losing over Rs 4 core revenue in view of non-recognition of these Regional level Labs and sheer negligence on the part of top Board officials.
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