Nagpur: Following the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has finally started taking action against cool water can, chilled water jar units (plants) engaged in the business of selling bottled/packaged water without license in city. Recently, Dhantoli Zone has sealed 22 such units that were running the business illegally.
“We have identified and taken action against 22 illegal chilled water jar units in Dhantoli area. There are many more illegal units in the zone and we are in the process to identify them,” Kiran Bagde, Assistant Commissioner, Dhantoli Zone.
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued directions to all local bodies of the district to identify the cool water can, chilled water jar units (plants) which have no permission from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and NoC from Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to run such plants, and seal them immediately. The Principal Bench of NGT, recently, passed an order for MPCB to seal such plants immediately which have no permission from the CPCB and FDA.
Petitioner Vijaysingh Dubbal and others filed an application before the NGT, regarding manufacturing plants or units of chilled drinking water jars/cans without obtaining ‘Consent to Operate’ and selling of such unpackaged and unsealed chilled water jars or cans, which are not potable and thus hazardous to health.
“We have identified 128 illegal units are running in the city without any consent from concerning departments. We have started taking action zone wise and Dhantoli zone is the first in this process,” said Shweta Banerjee, Executive Engineer, Environment Department, NMC.
However, NMC asked MPCB to guide the civic body for what kind of step they should take. As per the NGT order, the threat needs to be taken seriously as water used for chilling and then selling it in cans or jars is fetched from bore well which can contain various impurities including fungal growth, other hazardous contains like lead, chemicals, solvents, etc.
All such units are also withdrawing much quantity of ground water illegally, they do not take permission from Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), their activities actually lead to not only ground water depletion but also to contamination, if released waste water has pollutants, the order said.
