The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has sealed 132 bleaching units found to be operating illegally in Panipat for allegedly polluting groundwater and water bodies, including the Yamuna River. However, environmental compensation (EC) has been imposed on only three units so far.
According to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Delhi-based environmentalist Varun Gulati, the HSPCB’s Regional Office in Panipat stated that orders regarding the imposition of EC on 26 illegal bleaching units were still pending. The reply, however, did not specify how much compensation had been recovered.
Gulati had sought details of illegal bleaching units operating in the district from January 1, 2016 onwards, including closure orders issued by the HSPCB, names and addresses of the units, proprietors’ details, dates of closure, environmental compensation imposed, dates of imposition and the basis for calculating the compensation.
In its reply, the HSPCB stated that action had been initiated against 132 illegal bleaching units operating in the district. Environmental compensation has so far been imposed on three units. These include Rs 35.20 lakh on a bleaching unit in Karhans village, which was closed in 2023, Rs 2.12 lakh on a bleaching unit in Jattal in 2018 and Rs 1.75 lakh on another bleaching unit in Jattal during the same year.
Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report published in The Tribune highlighting environmental concerns arising from illegal bleaching units in Panipat. According to the report, these units were allegedly discharging chemical-laden wastewater directly into drains and open land in violation of environmental norms.
The HSPCB identified 32 such illegal bleaching units, many of which were allegedly releasing untreated effluents into water channels that eventually flow into the Yamuna River.
In an order dated August 29, 2025, the NGT directed the HSPCB to complete the process of levying and recovering environmental compensation from these 32 units within three months. However, according to the RTI reply, compensation has not yet been imposed on these units.
Gulati alleged that the HSPCB had not taken adequate action against illegal bleaching units in Panipat. He claimed that while closure proceedings had been initiated against 132 units, environmental compensation had not been imposed on 103 of them over the past decade.
He further said that despite the NGT’s directions, compensation has not been levied on the 32 units identified last year.
Gulati also claimed that complaints regarding 62 additional illegal bleaching units had recently been submitted to the HSPCB. According to him, many of these units are operating on agricultural land in villages including Naultha, Dahar, Binjhol, Balana, Paldi, Kurar, Didwadi, Mandi, Israna, Gwalda, Pardhana, Chamrara and Nara, among others in the district.
