Pollution board cracks down on 17 units; closure notice to firm near airport

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has issued showcause notices to 17 units, most of them around Malur in Kolar district, and initiated closure proceedings against a vegetable processing unit near Kempegowda International Airport. Officials said the 17 firms were called for personal hearings and are now implementing SOPs mandated by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). "Notices were issued in Jan," officials said. "Most of the violations relate to absence of common effluent treatment plants and the lack of 30-metre-high chimneys. Besides this, one industry in Anekal has been issued a closure order."
The action follows findings by a CPCB-led joint committee that detected lead levels beyond limits prescribed under Food Safety and Standards Regulations. Lead contamination was found in 19 of 72 vegetable samples tested across Bengaluru, Nelamangala, Kolar and Chikkaballapur. PM Narendra Swamy, chairman KSPCB, said he flagged lack of infrastructure in Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) estates during a Jan meeting with CM Siddaramaiah and industries minister MB Patil. "They cannot allot land like revenue land," he said. "Basic infrastructure, including effluent and waste treatment facilities, must be provided in industrial areas." Swamy said the state must direct KIADB to earmark space for common effluent treatment plants and solid waste management while developing industrial zones. "Industries department and KIADB often say that PCB restricts industries from entering the state, which puts us in a difficult position," he said. He also highlighted staff shortages. "Recruitment was stopped for 15 years. We have only about 230 staff against a sanctioned strength of 800. Outsourced staff have limited accountability," Swamy said. At the agriculture department's 113th foundation day, principal secretary Selvakumar said the lead contamination issue reflected enforcement gaps across departments. YS Patil, commissioner of agriculture, urged officials to use the department's 840 acres of farmland to develop sustainable farming models. In a separate case, KSPCB issued a notice to a vegetable processing unit in Kannamangala, Devanahalli taluk. The unit was operating without mandatory consent for establishment, and wastewater from vegetable washing was discharged into low-lying areas without treatment. Solid waste was also dumped in the open. Citing violations under the Water Act, 1974, and Air Act, 1981, the board proposed to stop operations and recommended disconnection of power supply. The company has been given 15 days to respond. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !