Gujaratstartups, SURAT: The city of Surat will have an online pollution analyser for regulating pollution levels in the industries soon. This comes after the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) served closure notices to over 100 units in Surat, which was for the first time in the city`s history in a period of less than nine months. Many of them had to forfeit their bank guarantees too.

Anil Patel, GPCB officer in Surat, told TOI, "We did not wait for all the reports and analysis of pollutants in the case of air pollution. On the basis of black smoke coming out of chimneys of the industries in the photographs, we issued notices to them for non-compliance."

He said, "A majority of these units were penalised as they were found emitting black smoke and spreading air pollution. We don`t want Surat to be counted among the most critically polluted clusters. An elaborate plan to check pollution has been drawn up. We would be installing an online analyser in the city in the coming months which will help us to do real-time monitoring of pollution levels and to act swiftly." A Rs one crore online analyzer has been installed in Maninagar in Ahmedabad.

GPCB officials said many owners of these units had set up a bypass in the chimneys to release smoke which was polluting fresh air. More than 60 such units were slapped with notices under section 31 of Air Regulation Act and also penalised. Action was taken against others under Section 33 (A) of Water Pollution Act. Reopening procedure is carried out as per the manuals and further laxity by the units punished severely, they added.

Source: Times Of India