Deputy Commissioner Dr Virender Kumar Dahiya has directed various departments to nominate officials within 10 days to conduct a detailed survey of illegal bleach houses operating in tehsils across the district.
The district administration acted only after The Tribune prominently published a report headlined ‘Over 60 illegal bleach houses operational on farmland in Panipat’ in its May 22 edition.
Meanwhile, Vinay Pratap Singh, Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), has also directed officials to initiate immediate action against the owners of these illegal bleach houses, sources said.
In his order, DC Dr Dahiya directed the District Town Planner (DTP), Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), Regional Officer (RO), HSPCB, Executive Engineers (XEn) of City, Samalkha and Suburban (Rural) divisions, and the Tehsildars of Bapoli, Israna, Panipat, Samalkha and Madlauda to nominate officials to conduct a detailed survey of illegally operating bleach houses in the district.
According to sources, after the matter was highlighted, the Regional Officer wrote to the Deputy Commissioner regarding illegal bleach houses operating in the district without valid permission from any authority concerned.
Following the letter, the Deputy Commissioner stated in his order that a detailed survey of the bleach houses was required. He directed officials of all departments to nominate officers to conduct the survey in each tehsil of the district.
The DC also directed officials to collect details of the land on which illegal bleach houses were constructed, the landowners’ names, girdawari reports, whether the unit owners have electricity connections, Change of Land Use (CLU) status, Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) from HSPCB, and permission for submersibles installed at the units that are being used for industrial activity instead of agriculture. The survey is to be completed within 10 days, the order reads.
It is worth mentioning that more than 60 illegal bleach houses are allegedly operating in agricultural areas of Panipat district in violation of environmental norms, raising concerns over industrial pollution and groundwater contamination.In his complaint to HSPCB, an environmentalist said that over 60 illegal bleach houses were currently operating in areas including Didwari, Naultha, Dahar, Israna, Palri, Chamrara, Garhi Chhaju, and parts of Samalkha.
These units were allegedly being operated in agricultural fields with the support of landowners without obtaining mandatory permissions and consent under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.The complainant further alleged that the units were releasing chemically contaminated wastewater directly into nearby drains and canals, which eventually flow into the Yamuna, thereby polluting the river and causing severe environmental damage.
Earlier, a complaint was raised last year about the operation of 32 illegal bleach houses, and the pollution board had also taken action against them. The matter is pending before NGT. After The Tribune published the report prominently, NGT took suo motu cognisance of the news item. The imposition of environmental compensation (EC) on these illegal bleach house owners is still pending, and the file has been shuttling between the Regional Office, Panipat, and HSPCB Headquarters.
