The National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone, has directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to provide the emission details of all industrial units in Tuticorin Industrial Estate.
Judge M. Chockalingam and Technical Member R. Nagendran asked for the details on Friday while hearing Sterlite Industries’ appeal against the order of closure issued by the State anti-pollution body .
The company’s four-lakh-tonne a year copper smelting unit, which supplies more than half the domestic copper requirement, has been shut from March 30 following allegations of excess emissions of Sulphur dioxide. Sterlite Industries, in its appeal seeking interim stay against the order, has categorically denied any excess emissions.
The company argued that it has been presumed that emissions, if any, had been from the smelting unit. But there were over a dozen industrial units in the vicinity that could have emitted sulphur dioxide or other noxious gases.
The company represented that there were industrial units making fertilisers, chemicals, generating electricity, dry flowers, and food processing units in the Sipcot industrial estate. Sterlite “is being held responsible for no reason. Maybe the emissions were from other sources,” its counsel said.
Judge Chockalingam called for the ‘Air Care’ data of all the companies in the industrial estate that could potentially be responsible for such emissions.
According to the Environment Ministry, the Pollution Control Board has established a Centre for Accessing Real Time Air quality Information Report (Care Air) at its headquarters. This facility, the first of its kind in the country, monitors in real time industrial emissions round-the-clock.
When emission levels exceed norms, an inbuilt alarm system alerts the industry concerned, the District Environmental Engineer and Member Secretary of the Pollution Control Board through an automated SMS, for remedial action.
Over 115 industrial units have been connected to the Care Air Centre. The Pollution Control Board also monitors ambient air quality through three stations in Tuticorin.