Full Guide for Pollution Control Board (PCB)

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What is the Pollution Control Board?

The Pollution Control Board (PCB) is a statutory organization established under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It operates under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). There are two levels of boards:

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is a statutory organization under the Water Prevention Act of 1974. Accredited with the responsibility of environment conservation in India, the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) were subsequently established in the states and UTs, respectively. The CPCB promotes the cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the states by preventing, controlling and abetting water and air pollution. Whereas the SPCBs/PCCs are delegated the role of issuing CTE (Consent to Establish) and CTO (Consent to Operate) in their respective state or UTs.

State Pollution Board (SPB)

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Consent to establish / Consent to operate (SPCB)

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Overview of CPCB Approvals- CTE & CTO

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is a statutory organization under the Water Prevention Act of 1974. Accredited with the responsibility of environment conservation in India, the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) were subsequently established in the states and UTs, respectively. The CPCB promotes the cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the states by preventing, controlling and abetting water and air pollution. Whereas the SPCBs/PCCs are delegated the role of issuing CTE (Consent to Establish) and CTO (Consent to Operate) in their respective state or UTs.

Due to the importance of the approval of CPCB in these certificates for environment preservation, the Board tasked the SPCB with the power to grant this No Objection Certification and existing industrial setups. These NOCs are, in a way, permission given by the respective SPCB to the industry. This allows discharging of only treated industrial waste like wastewater, effluent and air emission into the environment. Most SPCBs have made provisions for the auto-renewal of CTE and CTO subject to compliance with the policy of the concerned SPCB/PCC. But many boards still require applicants to apply for renewal for CTO if they wish to renew the license.

Importance of CPCB Approvals - CTE & CTO

It is pretty evident that the Central Pollution Control Board is the nodal authority for environment preservation and conservation. Thus, CPCB Approvals – CTE & CTO are indeed important. The additional functions of CPCB have been mentioned in the Water Act 1974 and the Air Act 1981. The Central Pollution Control Board withdrew its earlier directions issued in 2012 in the context of the categorization of industries. Later, the Board issued a revised classification of industrial units under the Red, Orange, Green & White categories based on the level of a pollution index.

The CPCB Approvals - CTE & CTO is granted or refused on the case's merits after examination by the suitable authority as per powers delegated by the Board. The approval certificates bearing the digital signatures of the authorized officer are issued through an online system. The applicants can download it from the online portal of the respective SPCBs.

Procedure for obtaining CPCB Approvals - Consent to Establish (CTE)

Consent to Establish for new units:

The new industrial units falling under the Red, Orange and Green Categories per the list issued by CPCB can apply for CTE through the online portal (OCMMS). The respective states manage the portal. The application should be submitted along with all documents for individual industrial units/projects. No inspection is required to deal with the cases of CTE unless any violation comes to the notice of the Board and self-certification is submitted by the unit.

Consent to Establish for expansion of the industries:

For expanding the existing industrial units/projects falling under Red, Orange and Green Categories, the application shall be submitted for Consent to Establish under Water and Air Acts. The application is submitted through the online portal along with documents related to CTE for expansion projects as per the following checklist -

Procedure for obtaining Consent to Operate

Site Inspection Policy for Industrial Units

For CPCB Approvals – CTE & CTO, site Inspection is carried out by the authorized officer/officers of the Board before allowing the production in the unit. It is done after approval from the competent authority. It also serves as a means to check the status regarding the installation of pollution control measures or devices undertaken. Furthermore, it also helps in assessing the structural adequacy before deciding the cases of the CTO.

After granting the CTO certificate, the unit inspection will be carried out again by the authorized inspection officer from the Board. This will be done with prior approval of competent authority as per inspection policy within 03 months after the grant of 1st CTO. This is for collecting samples of air emissions, sewage effluent or noise, as applicable and to get the samples analyzed from the concerned Board’s recognized laboratories.

Fee for CPCB Approvals - CTE & CTO

At the time of obtaining CTO, the specific industries must deposit the testing fees prescribed for analyzing the effluent/air emission/noise samples from their units. Generally, manufacturing units are at liberty to deposit the full applicable consent fee for the prescribed period depending upon their category. However, the SPCB/PCC can allow them to apply for consent to operate for a lesser period subject to certain conditions. In such a case, justification can also be asked. Some boards also allow applicants to pay fees for CTO in instalments.

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Our professionals assist you in getting CPCB Approvals – CTE & CTO at reasonable costs.

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