NAWANSHAHR, Punjab: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has imposed a hefty penalty of ₹2 crore on Sun Pharmaceutical Limited as environmental compensation for discharging effluent in an open area from its manufacturing plant. The PPCB has also asked the company to reduce its manufacturing capacity to half.
The local residents lodged complained about the untreated wastewater that was seeping down, polluting the underground water, and reaching their homes and fields. They alleged that they were suffering from various diseases, including cancer.
PPCB officials took samples of the effluents in several open ponds and confirmed that it was being discharged in the ponds bypassing the effluent treatment plant (ETP).
Krunesh Garg, Member Secretary, PPCB, stated that the ETP installed at the factory was not enough to handle the effluent quantity that is being generated, and therefore, a large amount was dumped in the open.