Ban on air polluting units near biotech park

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB. 5. The State Government has, through a notification, prohibited the establishment of certain categories of new air polluting industries and expansion of existing ones permanently, within a radius of 25 kms from the revenue village boundaries of Turkapally village of Shamirpet mandal in Ranga Reddy district, where a biotechnology park is being set up.

The prohibited industries are cement, power, primary metallurgical industries such as iron, steel, ferro alloys zinc, lead and copper and petroleum and petro-chemical industries.

These industries are being prohibited as the biotechnology industries are sensitive to air environment and the processes involved in it need clean air to carry out operations like inoculation of micro-organisms, cell culture, genetic modifications and media sterilizations.

This was in tune with the recommendations made by the Commissioner, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI), which was assigned the task of preparing a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment report including the Environment Management Plan (EMP) for the biotech park.

The modernisation of existing industries within the prohibited areas will be permitted only if it is aimed at reducing the existing pollution load at the point of generation by adopting process modification, raw material changes or any other improvements within the existing unit by applying cleaner technology. For such a change, the industry should make an application to the AP Pollution Control Board for fresh consent for establishment.

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Section  : Southern States
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