NGT keeps moratorium plan in abeyance post MPCB objection to Chanda’s CEPI score
| Date :05-Sep-2019 |
By Kartik Lokhande :
The recent Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) score ranked Chandrapur as the second most polluted city in Maharashtra and eighth in the country. Following this, National Green Tribunal (NGT) had plans for imposing moratorium on Chandrapur once again. However, following a ‘strong objection’ raised by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), NGT has kept the moratorium plan in abeyance. Recently, NGT had published CEPI scores of highly polluted cities and industrial areas based on the analysis done by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). With CEPI score of 76.41, Chandrapur ranked the second most polluted city in Maharashtra, after Tarapur that had CEPI score of 93.69 making it the most polluted city in the country.
Considering the overall CEPI score, Chandrapur ranked 27th in the country, but eighth in the country in air pollution. The cities with CEPI score up to 60 are dubbed as ‘polluted’ and the cities with CEPI score above 70 are called ‘critically polluted areas’. The fresh assessment of CPCB yielded CEPI score of 76.41 for Chandrapur and NGT had plans to impose moratorium once again. This came against the backdrop of MPCB’s Star Rating programme giving good ratings (4 or 5 stars) to units in Chandrapur’s industrial cluster. Asked about this ‘mismatch’ between CEPI score and Star Rating rankings of industrial units, Dr V M Motghare, Joint Director (Air), MPCB, told ‘The Hitavada’ that NGT had ‘kept in abeyance’ its plans for moratorium.
“CPCB’s external team had taken ony one reading and placed Chandrapur in the list of most polluted cities. MPCB raised a strong objection to this because industrial cluster in Chandrapur has made a good progress. Common effluent treatment plants and acid recovery plants are in place. After our strong objection, NGT has kept in abeyance its plans for moratorium,” said Dr Motghare. According to him, MPCB had received a letter in this regard on August 28, 2019.
Chandrapur had previously been ranked among the critically polluted areas, and a moratorium was imposed in January 2010, blocking the new investment coming to the city and district. In 2013, CPCB assessment resulted in CEPI score of 81.90 for Chandrapur. An action plan was conceived and implemented, following which a fresh assessment was done in which Chandrapur’s CEPI score was 54.42. Following this, Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change lifted the moratorium in May 2016. Chandrapur’s CEPI score was in respect of industrial cluster of Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) in Chandrapur, Tadali, Ghugus, and Ballarpur.