972 units polluting Ganga indentified

Tannery and leather related industrial units mainly in Kanpur and nearby areas are the main reason behind pollution of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, revealed a report of the Central Pollution Control Board while listing 972 polluting industrial units.

The list of 972 units includes 98 seriously polluting industries which have either not installed anti-pollution devices or have installed anti-pollution devices but are not functioning properly. Those 98 industrial units include Simbhaoli Sprit, Wave industries limited, Harduganj Thermal Power Station, Diesel Locomotive Works (Varanasi) and others.

The list of industrial units polluting Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh was revealed on July 4 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which had asked CPCB to upload the list of all polluting units of Uttar Pradesh discharging effluents in river Ganga and its tributaries in the public domain.

The Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar said closure notices have also been issued in some cases.

The list of 972 polluting units also includes big names like Tata Chemicals, Ultratech Cement, Jaypee Cement, power stations of NTPC, Narora Atomic Power Station among others. These industries, however, fall in the list of those units which have "installed Anti-Pollution Devices and are achieving Norms".

Since its first day, prime minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government has laid special emphasis on cleaning and rejuvenation of Ganga. An informal group of secretaries of select union ministries and an informal group of union ministers are also meeting to chalk out a clear roadmap for cleaning and rejuvenation of India's holy river.