UPPCB categorises industries for timely inspection, curbing pollution

Uttar Pradesh categorizes 2,937 industrial units for pollution inspections: Red (5 years), Orange (10), Green (15), ensuring compliance with environmental norms.

Industrial units in Uttar Pradesh have been categorised in red, orange, green, white and blue linking each category in a timeframe of mandatory inspection, to ensure pollution levels remain within norms and inspection is not skipped.

(Pic for representation only)

The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has categorised 2,937 industrial units under Red category that will be inspected at least once in five years.

“The categorisation has been done keeping in view the pollution that specific unit will generate,” said Sanjeev Kumar Singh, member secretary, UPPCB.

These inspections are apart from any other done by other government agencies and (the inspection) is focused upon ensuring all rules regarding pollution curb are followed. These inspections are to be surprise and shall be linked with future permissions and other expansion formalities.

Also 27,608 industries have been put under the orange category, and 53548 units under green category. Another 125 industrial units are marked white category and 193 under the blue category.

In orange category the inspection by UPPCB has to be done at least once in 10 years, in green category at least 15 years and the white and blue category are least polluting industrial units.

Industrial units that come under the Red category are the ones with pollution index score of 60 or more. Industries with a pollution index score between 41 and 59 are classified under the Orange category. The Green category is for industries with a pollution index score between 21 and 40 and White category for the industrial units with a pollution index score of 20 or less.