National Green Tribunal Orders DPCC to Shut Down Polluting Units at Wazirpur

National Green Tribunal bench chaired by Hon’ble Justice Swatanter Kumar has ordered Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to take strict action against the Stainless Steel Pickling Units located at Wazirpur, New Delhi. The tribunal order pronounced last week has directed DPCC to ensure that units are not operational without the consent of the board and are not causing any pollution. DPCC has been given strict instruction for 17 specific pickling units naming them in the order for immediate action. These 17 units include Mittul Industries, Kasturi Steel Industries, Pradeep Industries, Paras Steel, Shri Krishna Re-rolling Mill, G.S Enterprises, Shiv Enterprises, Goyal Enterprises, Rajesh, S.V Industries, Laxmi Narain Steel Rollers, Hariram, Vijay Enterprise, Shri Ram Enterprise, Ganapati Rolling, Ganapati Rolling, Ganpati Steel and Jagdish Kumar.

On plea filed by All India Lokadhikar Sangathan and taking conscience on growing pollution in River Yamuna, the Hon’ble bench told the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to immediately shut down units that are not complying with the Tribunal orders despite several notices served to them and were still releasing toxics used in pickling of Stainless Steel in River Yamuna.

Earlier in September’14, the tribunal had issued closure notices to several industrial units, mainly steel pickling units, in the area for discharging harmful effluents into drains that empty into river Yamuna.

Wazirpur Industrial Area houses about 2,000 units. Most of them are steel pickling units. These units are not carrying out any treatment are still releasing untreated liquid industrial waste in the open drains that flow into the river Yamuna. Earlier, Delhi Pollution Control Committee also issued closure notice to 112 industrial units for discharging untreated toxic waste water in drains causing major health hazards to the health of the people living in nearby areas.

Commenting on the same, Mr. Girish Kumar Pandey, President All India Lokadhikar Sangathan said: “We welcome the order delivered by the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal. Despite many warnings, some units are still not following the norms laid down by the DPCC. This order has come as a respite to River Yamuna, which is being polluted by harmful chemicals used by these pickling units.”

The 22-km stretch of the Yamuna, which lies in Delhi and is barely 2 per cent of the length of the river basin, continues to contribute over 80 per cent of the pollution load in the entire stretch of the river

“This pious river has been the identity of Delhi since ages. Yamuna is not just a river for us but a goddess whose purity is being let down by these steel pickling units at the cost of the river and environment as a whole. We are also planning to meet Ms. Uma Bharti, Union cabinet minister for Water Resources, and will bring this matter to her attention and will seek her intervention in cleaning River Yamuna. We have already written to the ministry earlier on this issu,” added Mr. Pandey