TGPCB Conduct Urgent Meet on Chemical Odour Issue

 Hyderabad: The report ‘Pragathinagar reeks of ind. chemical’ published on October 29 in these columns prompted the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) to hold an emergency review meeting on Tuesday to address complaints of a chemical smell affecting communities near industrial areas around Hyderabad.

TGPCB member secretary G. Ravi, in a statement, said that there is an urgent need for active involvement from industrial associations to tackle the chemical odour issue and stated that if they did not stop violating the norms, the TGPCB would take strict action against all units within the affected clusters.

Ravi stressed that the board will increase inspection frequency, requiring each industry to maintain its equipment and employ skilled maintenance staff with clear duty charts. He called for air pollution scrubbers to be placed at the ground level to enhance maintenance and monitoring.

Industries found discharging untreated wastewater or bypassing common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) will face severe penalties, including possible closure orders, he warned.

The meeting was attended by over 200 representatives from around 20 industrial zones, including sectors like pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food processing. Senior officials, including chief engineer B. Raghu, participated in the meeting and discussed better odour-control measures and pollution monitoring systems.

Susanth Lagi Shetty, an MNC employee and a resident of Pragathinagar, told Deccan Chronicle, “Right now, it is unclear what the next steps will be or how long this progress will last. We will observe their actions over the next week and see if they make an observable impact. There has been some improvement, but we hope that these actions are sustainable in the long run.”