CHANDIGARH: The state appellate authority-cum-Principal Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Environment, has over ruled an order of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The PPCB had issued an order to around 3,000 brick-kilns to discontinue their regular operational methods from Oct to Jan and to adopt the “zig-zag” technology to ensure uniform distribution of heat, which reduces emissions. The Punjab Brick Kilns Owners’ Association had moved the appellate authority against the order.
In an order issued on October 1, Rakesh Verma, the appellate authority, said that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had not ordered a complete ban on the operations of brick-kilns. It had only ordered to follow its guidelines issued on December 18, 2017.
Verma further said that the PPCB had not specified any objective or quantifiable measure for evaluating the impact of the NGT directions. Board did not install any mechanism to assess the role of brick-kilns in pollution.