As a developing country, it is evident that production activity has received tremendous boost and cities, towns are experiencing phenomenal expansion. This has to happen. Expansion means establishing more industries that produce and market the finished products. But establishment of industries is not without hazards. Air, water and environment are among the primary elements that are prone to pollution and contamination owing to external agents. The developed countries realized at an early date that it was necessary to control pollution of elements while the industries were allowed to grow. On this subject western research institutes conducted very serious study and finally framed new laws and also issued new directions meant to control pollution of air and water. The more important aspect of their effort and innovation was that they not only framed new laws and provided new methodologies, but at the same time ensured that they were implemented strictly according to the instructions and guidelines they had provided. The result is that despite vast industrial growth in the developed countries, their air, water and environment are without pollution and the human health has been spared the hazards of pollution.
Our country is witnessing considerable industrial growth which is a sign of overall economic growth as well as the ascending life style of our people. As a measure of controlling pollution which increasing industrial growth was likely to lead to, States constituted State Pollution Control Boards as the nodal agency that was to take care of maintaining pristine purity of the environs. Since control of pollution has to be done on scientific and technological basis, special laboratories were required by the state boards to undertake intermittent testing of environment meaning air, water and environment. These laboratories had to be equipped with special equipment and technical staff in order to make them function with efficiency and responsibility. But realising the huge responsibility that these laboratories were expected to undertake, the policy planners took additional measures for ensuring that the testing mechanism was foolproof and would not allow irregularity or error. For this purpose of standardization of the State Pollution Control Board Laboratories, the SPB laboratories are required to obtain recognition 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. This applies to our State also which has incepted the State Pollution Control Board in 2010-11.
As per figures available from PCB and Industries Department nearly 5600 industrial units including brick kilns/ stone crushers exist in J&K. The practice adopted in J&K is that the industries are obtaining NOC from private laboratories outside the State year after year and there is nothing that prevents them from running this practice unhindered. They are obtaining SMRs every year allegedly by paying hefty amount 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’.
More intriguing is the fact that the Central Government provided full assistance for establishing the fully equipped laboratories in the State for which equipment was purchased and server worth Rs 2 crores was also dedicated besides Rs 40 lakh was spent on the software. But the system has not been 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. 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. All that one can say is that there appears a way that the State authorities are just ignoring the subject of equipping Board laboratories and making them functional. Five years have passed when the Board was established and no progress whatsoever has been made in the area of making the Board laboratories functional. In view of the seriousness of the case, we expect the Department of Environment as well as the Department of Health to take quick action in equipping the Board laboratories fully and making them functional. The system of obtaining the NOC from outside and unauthorised laboratories should be stopped under Government order. This is the first step which the Government should do without waste of time. And then the question of making the laboratories functional in letter and in spirit has to be taken up.
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