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Thiruvananthapuram , Jan. 10

INDUSTRIAL units in Kerala that were ordered to close down by March this year for failing to meet various environmental norms may receive more time to comply with environmental guidelines, said Dr D. B. Boralkar, a member of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on hazardous wastes.

This is in view of the fact that the Central effluent treatment plant being built in Kochi would take some more time to be ready, he added.

He made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of a one-day seminar on `Coexistence of industry and environment - issues and solutions' organised in the city on Monday by The Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd.

State Governments should consider giving subsidies to industrial units to set up environment protection systems, said Dr Boralkar, who is also the Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Similarly, several industrial units should come together to set up common waste-management systems, he added. Such facilities make a lot of sense, as single industrial units may sometimes find it difficult to comply with all environmental norms throughout the year, he said.

In his inaugural address, the Kerala Industries Minister, Mr V.K. Ebrahim Kunju, said that care should be taken to ensure that an industrial unit is allowed to start operations only after it meets all environmental safeguards. This is better than shutting down an industrial unit after it has commenced operations, as this can have adverse social and economic consequences, he added.

Eleven papers were presented during the technical sessions that followed the inauguration. Subjects discussed in these presentations included eco-friendly healthcare, the preparation of environmental impact assessments, environmental monitoring in the chemical industry, municipal solid waste management and environmental issues in the manufacture of titanium dioxide.

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