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Run of the mills

  • 30/07/1999

Run of the mills  The difficulties some of the green inspectors had to face while assessing the industries aside, most of them seem to have enjoyed conducting the exercise. "It was challenging and at the same time it gave me first-hand knowledge of double standards,' says P Udaya Chandra, who rated West Coast Paper Mills Ltd and Mysore Paper Mills Ltd (MPML) in Karnataka.

"I came across several problems pertaining to the pulp and paper industry which I did know earlier. I found that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (PCB) is extremely bureaucratic. It is difficult to source information even in the state capital. But, at the district level, they have a relatively good infrastructure,' says Priya Shah, who studied four paper mills in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In contrast, says Shah, because of the Andhra Pradesh PCB's computerisation at the state capital level, it is far easier to source information but, at the district level, they seem to suffer from understaffing and poor infrastructure.

The Tamil Nadu PCB was not willing to part with any information to green inspector R V Singh, but in the case of Karnataka PCB, there was something fishy going on. Chandra says he learnt from the local people that MPML had installed effluent treatment plants. "But the plant is operated only when PCB officials visit the plant,' says Chandra. "Officials in charge of environmental matters furnish only information printed in the annual report. PCB officials just endorse the view of the companies. I feel there is an unholy alliance between the two,' he says.

With Cachar Paper Mills (CPM) and BILT-Chaudwar, the story was the same. "According to CPM officials, there was no one who could give me the information and they did not allow me to take photographs,' says Dileep Chandan.

During J B Dash's visit to Chaudwar, the general manager (GM) deputed a plant manager and a junior executive to show him the worksite. The general manager highlighted all the positive things the company had done. Later a company official came to him and said,

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