Punjab-based pharmaceutical unit Nector Life Sciences Limited has been slapped with an interim penalty of Rs 5 crore for violating environmental norms by the National Green Tribunal. The penalty came in on a day when allegations surfaced against the company for discharging highly polluted chemical effluents into farmlands in Haibatpur village of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. Sources said that it adversely contaminated crops, agricultural fields, and land, leading to environmental compliances.
The tribunal also lambasted the Punjab State Pollution Control Board (PSPCB) for failing to discharge its statutory duties. The tribunal observed that the PSPCB had failed to levy adequate environmental compensation on the violator nor had it initiated criminal cases against the violator. Such laxity had led to the pharmaceutical unit, primarily a manufacturer of antibiotics, carrying out its production without meeting the prescribed limits for zero liquid discharge (ZLD). These untreated effluents, carrying residues of antibiotics such as cephalosporin, thus pose great environmental and health risks due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment.
As such, the NGT specified in its order that PSPCB’s reports merely report on the quality of water and level of pollution ensuing from the discharged effluents without ascertaining the presence of antibiotic residues. Noting the financial turnover of the company in the current fiscal year as Rs 1,698.66 crore, the tribunal said environmental compensation, calculated at 0.5% of turnover, stands at Rs 8.5 crore. The NGT directed the company to deposit Rs 5 crore with the PSPCB within two months as an interim measure. Besides this, the tribunal has directed the PSPCB to calculate the amount of final compensation and file a criminal complaint against the company for its violations under environmental laws, particularly the Water Act.
The NGT’s order reflects the imperative need for implementing strict enforcement and liability mechanisms against polluters. The PSPCB has been directed to oversee compliance and pursue remedies for addressing the harm caused by the pharmaceutical unit’s misdeeds.
Source: PTI