The State Environment department has made the green clearance process for new industrial units simpler and faster. Now, a unit of the green range category will receive environment clearance within 15 days and those falling in the red category within a maximum of 60 days.
According to guidelines, industrial units in the country are categorized as green, orange and red, depending on the levels of pollution they generate. Those under the red category produce the maximum pollution and the green ones the least.
Till now, even the green establishments take at least 120 days to receive environment clearance. “To speed up the process, green-category units will get clearance within 15 days, orange units in 30 days and red category units, which will need stricter inspection than the others, a maximum of 60 days. Applications can be submitted online and the sanction will also be given online, after a physical inspection. This will help the units come up faster in the state.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), along with the forest department, is also working on a plantation programme in the industrial towns of Asansol and Haldia and in Jangalmahal districts, to increase the green cover there. For that, areas most affected due to sponge iron units have been identified.
