Cement, Energy and Environment

POLLUTION CHECK Waste quotient The national pollutionwatchdog will direct state pollution control authorities to give approvals to industries as per the new classification The industries have been ranked on the scale of 1 to 100 based on quality of emissions, effluents, types of hazardous waste generated and use of natural resources - POLLUnON LEVELS WHAT THE NEW CLASSIACATION MEANS ORANGE GREEN Esisting New 136 Implication• Basket of Red category 30 from Red category moved,7 13from Orange moved Two from Orange and industries shrink from green; remaining 56 retained and 40 retained 34 from Green moved Earl~ Upto3YEARS 3·5YEARS Up to 10YEARS N/A Permission The category Isnew Minimum 5VEARS 10 YEARS Lifetime Not required permission Industries Cement, steel and thermal Red to Orange: Industries Orange to Geen:Rice, cia mills, non-asbestos packaging units, gas Assembly of ACs non· power plants, fire cracker Involved in recycling of used motorised vehicles,bi· fired rolling mills, chillin9 plants, manufacturing, automobile, oil,Including hazardous waste, coke briquetting,hand1Jil9, storage cycles and electric lamps airports, asbestos-based Indus· tobacco products including & transportation of foOd grains and repainign of electric tires, organic chemical hotels cigarettes and tobaccolopium motors. Blo-fertllizer in bulk, man= from having waste watergeneration processes, steel products units, bosiery, carpe~ of over 100 kllo litres per day, using furnaces, glass manu· starch (physical m· · With gas brush manufacturing orelectrically Oven boiler mining and nuclear plants facturing, synthetic rubber units without dying 'IMPUCATlON: FIGURES IN DIFFERENTCATEGORIESWON'TADOUPASSOME INDUSTRIES HAVE EmlERBEENMERGEDORSPUTINTHENEWCLASSIACATlON: GRAPHICMUKESHSHARMA The national pollution watchdog's proposal also increases the mrmmum duration of environmental consent while trimming the list of most-polluting businesses in an attempt to boost flagging economic growth. The new mechanism also replaces a host of unwieldy state rules - which have different time– frames for renewal of approva ls for different regions-with a uniform national system that will promote more efficient environmental monitoring. "The new rules will bring uniformity in the period for which consent to operate is given to industries," a senior official of the Central Pollution Control Board said. For the first time, the classification was based on "scientific parameters" decided by a committee of experts, he added. Senior officials said the government is likely to adopt and notify the same rules with minimal changes as the CPCB came up with the system after consultation with the states. The new system will also complement tamper– proof online submission of emission and affluent data and replace a festering inspector raj for environmental inspections that hobble small- and medium-scale industries. ''This will take care of 80% of emissions from industrial sector and will bring transparency in implementation of pollution control regulations," the official said. The NDA rode to power last year on a promise to kickstart the economy but experts have raised doubts recently about the sputtering pace of reforms amid an Opposition-sponsored logjam in Parliament that has compromised the Centre's legislative agenda. The government has managed to pull Asia's third-largest economy out of its worst slump in 25 years but data from Tuesday showed the country's GDP growth rate has slowed down to 7% this 46