Mumbai: The state environment dept has proposed an increase in Bank Guarantee (BG) from 17 highly polluting industrial categories. At present, the BG is 10% of the capital cost of a project. It has been proposed that the BG be increased for critically polluted industries based on their past performance. The dept has proposed incorporating remedial measures in the BG so that the forfeited BG can be used for environmental restoration. The amount will be deposited in an Environment Improvement and Compliance Fund. Besides environmental restoration, the fund will be utilised for remedial measures in monitoring and surveillance, awareness and compliance activities. The recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled during the budget session of the legislature highlighted serious lapses in the functioning of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), stating that it cleared 50% of applications received for consent to operate from industries after the stipulated 60-day period.The CAG report said the MPCB granted 8,273 of the 16,424 consents with delays, undermining statutory compliance and environmental oversight.The audit report further said that 1,367 hotels and 40 industrial units were operating without the mandatory consents, even as monitoring remained constrained due to manpower shortages. Highlighting widespread violations, the report noted that several industries discharged untreated effluents into water bodies, operated non-functional effluent treatment plants and failed to install online monitoring systems. Effluent samples from key sectors showed parameters such as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Suspended Solids (SS) exceeding permissible limits.The CAG also flagged deficiencies in the functioning of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), stating that 5,033 out of 12,319 samples collected from 15 CETPs did not comply with prescribed standards. It also pointed out that industries were allowed to expand in areas like Taloja (in Navi Mumbai) despite long-standing non-compliance of CETPs, in violation of National Green Tribunal direction.On financial management, the report criticised poor enforcement of safeguards, noting that 2,678 bank guarantees worth Rs 272.47 crore were not obtained in physical form, rendering them unverifiable.
