PUNE, June 15: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has ordered the closure of seven distilleries attached to various sugar cooperatives in the state for violating pollution control norms.

After issuing several warnings to distilleries to provide proper effluent treatment plants to control pollution levels, the MPCB ordered the closure of these units for their failure to provide even primary treatment facilities.

The step is being viewed as politically significant and an attempt by the saffron alliance government to make the cooperative barons from the country's sugar bowl toe the line. As per the notification issued by the Ministry on April 2, 1994 for revising pollution norms, certain concessions in terms of pollution levels which had been granted so far were scrapped by the Ministry. The Ministry had set a deadline of March 31 for all distilleries attached to the sugar factories to meet zero pollution level norms. Later, at least 37 sugar mills had approached the government pleading for more time on the grounds that the costs involved here were quite heavy.

In the wake of the failure of the units to meet these norms, the Pollution Control Board has issued notices to the seven units under Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Moreover, directives have been issued to the competent authorities to disconnect electricity and water supply to these distilleries.

A status report prepared by the technical officers of the MPCB in the wake of the March 31, 1997 deadline set by the Union Environment Ministry to meet zero pollution norms has revealed some interesting facts.

Of the 56 distilleries in the state, more than 24 distilleries were providing primary effluent treatment, but had failed to make any kind of provisions for secondary effluent treatment. However, the remaining 25 distilleries were given a clean chit for meeting the norms set by the Environment Ministry.

The seven defaulting units who failed to make the grade include Krishna SSK Ltd of Shingar, Kolhapur Sugar Mills Ltd of Kolhapur, Girna SSK Ltd of Nashik, Vasant SSK Ltd of Jalgaon, Belganga SSK Ltd, Jamner Tal and Sugarcane Producers Co-operative Society Ltd of Jalgaon and Terna SSK Ltd of Osmanabad.

There are at least 24 distilleries attached to various sugar cooperatives that have installed primary effluent treatment plants but are yet to make any kind of provision for installing secondary effluent treatment plants.

These include Dnyaneshwar Agashe's Bhrihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd of Karad in Satara district, former State Minister Vijayrao Mohite Patil's S K Shankarrao Mohite Patil SSK Ltd of Solapur, Vasantdada Chavan's Vasantdada SSK Ltd of Sangli, Shri Ram SSK Ltd of Phaltan.

In its status report, the Pollution Control Board has urged the Government to intervene and recommend the action to be taken in the case of the 24 partially defaulting distilleries.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.