Bengaluru: External experts to inspect industries

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) will soon have an expert team to carry out inspection of industries to check if they are following the prescribed norms and are not causing harm to the environment.

A senior KSPCB officer said, “We are thinking of forming a third-party inspection team, comprising experts from well-known universities and institutions, who have the knowledge of various norms that have to be followed by industries. These experts will conduct the inspection to check licences, various measures adopted by industries, environmental protocols and others. We want the experts associated with well-known universities and from other government departments to be part of this team. This will ensure more clarity on inspections.”

He said, “This team is necessary, as at times, the inspections carried out by KSPCB officials are not satisfactory. Whenever there are loopholes found in the industries, which have flouted the rules but are not yet notified, the third party inspection team will come into picture. We will ask them to carry out the inspection, submit a report and take appropriate action against the industry and also the officials who carried out the previous inspection.”

This expert team will also be consulted while passing norms to be followed by the industries. “Our officials will carry out their routine inspection and when something is amiss, we will inform the expert team, who will also carry out their inspection. This will curtail malpractices by the industries and strict action can be initiated,” he said.

Another officer said, “Even the industries willing to be inspected by this expert team can approach the pollution board and we will make the necessary arrangements and they will have to bear the expenses.”