26-07-2013 … Exclusive … The goa state pollution control board would write to all the 189 village panchayats and municipalities too in the state informing them to guide an entrepreneur to take permissions of water and air acts from the board for any small type of business or micro business before the concerned village panchayat issue final noc ….
The decision of the pollution control board comes in wake of the Green Tribunal which has passed an order directing that the concerned states pollution control board of the country close down all such activities that are operating without the consent of water and air acts of the board.
The board has already issued show-cause notices under section 33 (a) read with section 25/26 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and section 31(A) read with section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
From march 2013 till date the board has sent around 2600 notices for various types of establishments which comes from hotels and industries too but only around 200 to 300 applications have come in till date while late fees has been waved off and the scheme is valid till 31st of December this year
The whole exercise began after the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) had pointed out that hotels and industrial units were operating without water and air consent causing a loss to the state exchequer. The NGT then directed the pollution control board to close down all such units and asked the board to file an action taken report in the matter.
Speaking to goanreporter chairman of goa state pollution control board Jose Manuel Noronha said “ as we have issued notices to hotles and industries to take permissions of water and air acts from the pcb board
We would also write to all the state village panchayats stating that if there are any industries, eateries or small restaurants or even cycle shops within their village jurisdiction then to please inform the pcb boards so that we can take steps and direct them to ensure that they were functioning with an appropriate authority like the goa state pollution control board”
Noronha said “ the exercise of identifying such unites was started way back from march 2013 this year as per the directions from the ministry of environment of forest who had given an order to the central pollution control board asking to issue notice to all industries and hotels who did not had pcb water and air consent
Noronha also stated that even small business had to take air and water consent permission from the pcb board
