SHILLONG/NONGPOH, Feb 5: In a major crackdown on polluters, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has shut down six industrial units in Byrnihat for failing to comply with environmental norms.
The action follows inspections conducted in the industrial belt on January 24, 27, and 31, revealing severe lapses in pollution control measures.
The industrial hub of Byrnihat, located along the Assam-Meghalaya border in the Ri-Bhoi district, has been a repeated offender in pollution-related violations.
Despite previous warnings and actions by regulatory authorities, industries in the area continue to flout environmental norms, raising concerns about air and water pollution levels affecting local communities.
The units served closure notices include Shyam Century Ferrous Ltd, Khasi Alloys Ltd, SR (India) Bio Products Pvt Ltd, Pawan Castings Meghalaya Pvt Ltd, FW Ferrotech Pvt Ltd, and Nalari Ferro Alloys Pvt Ltd, MSPCB Chairman R Nainamalai said.
These industries, engaged in ferroalloy production, re-rolling mills, and mild steel ingot manufacturing, were found violating key environmental norms such as non-operational pollution control devices, failure to transmit data from the Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System, exceeding prescribed pollution limits, and inefficiency of installed pollution control equipment.
To ensure the implementation of the shutdown orders, a joint team comprising the Executive Magistrate of the Ri-Bhoi district, an environmental engineer from MSPCB, and the general manager of the District Commerce and Industries conducted a follow-up inspection on February 4, according to the directive of the district’s Deputy Commissioner.
The MSPCB’s environmental engineer, YF Laloo said the inspections and monitoring have been ongoing since January 24. “This is not the first time we have conducted such inspections. We have been actively monitoring and inspecting industrial units across the state, including in Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills,” he said.
Laloo said the six factories shut down on Tuesday have also been directed to pay environmental compensation penalties for flouting pollution control norms. Shyam Century Ferro Alloys Private Limited has been fined Rs 4 lakh while Khasi Alloys Private Limited has been fined Rs 2 lakh.
Further inspections were conducted at various factories in the 13th Mile Byrnihat area during the night, along with the installation of air quality monitoring devices. However, officials found no emissions from these units, as their machinery was either turned off or was not operational at the time of inspection.
Laloo acknowledged the challenges faced by MSPCB due to limited resources but assured that efforts to monitor and control industrial pollution would continue.
“We operate from a single office and are responsible for monitoring not only Ri-Bhoi but also West Khasi Hills and other parts of the state. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to conducting regular inspections,” he asserted.
