Pharma Co Jubilant Life Sciences fined Rs 50 Lakh for pollution in UP

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh on five units of Amroha-based drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences for discharging untreated effluents in the open and extracting ground water beyond permissible limits.

The green panel directed Jubilant Lifesciences (distillery unit), Jubilant Industries Ltd (Polymer unit), Jubilant Lifesciences Ltd (chemical unit-1), Jubilant Lifesciences Ltd (chemical unit-2), Jubilant Agri & Consumer Products to deposit the amount with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

"After payment of Rs 50 lakh, the four units of Jubilant Group would be permitted to operate except the distillery unit. All the directions and recommendations contained in the joint inspection report should be complied with by the industries without delay and default," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

The NGT asked Central Ground Water Authority to inspect the premises of the drug firm and report whether ground water extraction was being done as per the law. It also made it clear that industry should not be permitted to withdraw any water in excess of the permission granted in terms of quantum and quality.

"In the meanwhile, all appropriate steps shall be taken to ensure that the fly ash is properly deposited, stored and fully covered. Effective steps should be taken to remove the garbage and municipal waste from the ash pond. These steps if not taken immediately, these industries would be liable to pay compensation of Rs 50 lakhs more.

"Two weeks time is granted to CPCB to conduct an inspection. We make it clear that if the industry fails to comply with these directions, they should be liable to be closed without any further notice," the bench said.

It also imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh on Gajraula-based Insilco Ltd for damaging the environment.

Earlier, the NGT had ordered closure of 13 industries in Uttar Pradesh after inspections found them violating pollution norms.

The bench had passed the order after noting the findings of a special inspection team which informed that effluents discharged in the Bagad river were beyond the prescribed limits.

Bagad, which spans a distance of 200 kms, contained heavy industrial pollutants from Gajraula and Bhagrala industrial clusters as there was no common effluent treatment plant on this river.

In a detailed report covering various aspects of contamination in the river, CPCB had informed the NGT that the Ganga, spanning a distance of 543 km between Haridwar and Kanpur, was affected by 1,072 seriously polluting industries which were releasing heavy metals and pesticides.

At present, 823.1 million litres per day of untreated sewage and 212.42 MLD of industrial effluents flow into the river, while three of the four monitored Sewage Treatment Plants were non-compliant with the set standards, it said.