The Telangana High Court on Wednesday cracked the whip on the state government and ordered that over 200 polluting plastic units in Hyderabad's Kattedan industrial area must be shut down, as they were set up in violation of the rules.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Abhishek Reddy, while hearing a plea filed by residents of Shashtripuram, said that officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Pollution Control Board (PCB) remained 'mute spectators' as illegal plastic units mushroomed in the area.
Going through an affidavit filed by GHMC Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar in his presence, along with Commissioner Lokesh Kumar, the court said that the senior official had 'blatantly lied' in the document. Pointing out that the GHMC had not taken any action against over 200 industries that were set up in contravention of the rules between 2012 and 2020, the court said that it will personally monitor the closure of polluting industries.
The GHMC Commissioner said that he would ensure that the industries would be shut down within a month.
Asking for an action taken report by April 7, the court also said that it would make the state government and officials responsible, pay compensation to the locals, who had to breathe polluted air for years due to departmental negligence.
Residents welcome move
The issue is far from new, as residents in the area have been complaining about the pollution for close to a decade.
On the ground in Kattedan, trucks and autos filled to the brim with plastic constantly travel on the road, situated close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). A pungent smell hangs in the air as factories are seen letting out thick, black smoke.
"We suffer a lot due to these factories. This was not the case earlier. When it was set up, it was in the outskirts of Hyderabad. As the city grew, many more industries opened here and now the smell is constantly there," one resident says.
Stating that the area mainly dealt in single-use plastic and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. Mohammed Rizwan, another resident says, "Many times, they also burn plastic at street corners. The thick smoke completely pollutes the air and gives us breathing problems."
And air pollution is not the only problem in the region. Speaking to TNM, Professor K Purushotham Reddy, a noted environmentalist said, "Several industries in the area violated rules, in connivance with local officials. Many of them also started dumping their effluents into the Noor Mohammed kunta (tank) nearby. This, in turn, completely polluted the groundwater in the region."
The polluted water even affected the quality of water and soil in Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University which affected their research, besides the Mir Alam Tank situated next to the Hyderabad zoo, which affected the health of animals, he added.
Studies which were conducted in the area also showed a heavy metal contamination in the area, with soil, water and vegetation showing high percentages of Zinc, Copper and Chromium. The elements were also found in the blood and urine samples of residents in the area along with lead, which could directly be linked to heavy metal pollution.
Speaking about the court's order, Purushotham says, "We appreciate it. It is very important and comes at a time when it is really necessary. The petitioners often struggle hard to collect all the evidence and submit it to the court. After securing the order, the next big challenge is to make sure that it is implemented on the ground. We hope that the government adheres to the order."
Others on the ground say that the state government should also take care of the workers at these industries.
"I used to work with one of the factories for many years. After single use plastic was banned, our salaries steeply fell and there were many layoffs. I have now set up a small shop to make a living. There are many like me and the state government should also form a policy to look into our issues while shutting down the factories," says Gopal, a shopkeeper in the area.