The board has directed the company to deposit the amount within seven days of receiving the order, failing which further action will be initiated under the Water and Air Pollution Control Acts. The order was issued by Board Joint Member Secretary Dr Gopal Chand Gautam with the approval of the chairman.
The action followed complaints from Majra residents regarding pollution from the facility. During an inspection, SPCB officials collected wastewater samples from the plant and four locations around it — the discharge from Cell No. 1 towards a field, a drain near the monsoon storage shed, a drain near the park and another drain near the main gate.
Laboratory analysis found several parameters, including total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), ammoniacal nitrogen, sulphate and lead, exceeding the prescribed limits in some samples.
Following the findings, the board’s Baddi regional officer issued a show-cause notice to the company, seeking an explanation for the violations. In its reply, the company claimed that the water found in the drains was rainwater, which it had proposed to collect and treat. It said the process could not be completed due to opposition from villagers.
The explanation, however, was rejected by the board. Officials noted that effluent had been found in the drains during the May 19 inspection and samples had been collected when the weather was dry. There had been no rainfall before the inspection, making the possibility of the discharge being rainwater or first-rain runoff “negligible”, the order stated.
The facility was inspected again on July 8, when all sampling points were found dry. However, based on the earlier violations, the board decided to proceed with environmental compensation under the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’.
A committee constituted by the SPCB evaluated the violations and their duration before recommending compensation of Rs 6.10 lakh.
The order has been issued under Section 33-A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Section 31-A of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
The Baddi regional officer has been directed to ensure immediate compliance and submit a report to the board.
