Panipat textile industry hit due to pet coke ban
PANIPAT : The Supreme Court’s ban on the use of petroleum coke and furnace oil in industries located in the National Capital Region has hit Panipat’s textile industry as nearly 400 small and large units having already shut production in the district.
Haryana Pollution Control Board officials, however, claimed that there are nearly 400 units in the NCR districts, which were using furnace oil and petroleum coke.
The manufacturers say the number is much higher and over 500 textile units have closed in Panipat district alone.
Pritam Singh Sachdeva, president, Haryana Chamber of Commerce an Industries for Panipat chapter, said, “About 500 textile units in Panipat have been affected by the ban that came into effect from November 1. The decision has also hit thousands of workers employed in these units.”
Lokesh Kalra, owner of Panipat-based Satya Textiles, said, “We have already closed our unit as pet coke was not available in the market. Now our labourers are sitting idle as they do not have anything to do.”
Sachin Sachdeva, another manufacturer, said the ban ahead of the winter season has affected hundreds of the units in the industrial city as this is the peak time of the year for the industry to earn. “We will face problems completing orders if we do not resume work,” he said.
However, the industrialists are demanding that they should have been given time of a month or two to make changes in their units to comply with the orders and they are expecting some relief as the top court to hear the case again on November 6.
“We need time to make changes to boilers. Only then we will be able to follow the directions of the Supreme Court and the government. We are hopeful of getting relief from the court during Monday’s hearing,” said Prtiam Singh.
S Narayanan, member secretary, Haryana Pollution Control Board, said, “We have already submitted the details of these units to the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA). The owners of these units have been told not to use the banned chemicals and sought the help of district administrations to implement the court orders.”
He said there might be some problems in the beginning as manufacturers may need to make some technical changes but the Supreme Court orders should be followed.
A public advertisement campaign is being carried out to spread awareness about the top court’s directions, Narayanan said.
400 SMALL AND LARGE UNITS HAVE ALREADY SHUT PRODUCTION IN THE DISTRICT; MANUFACTURERS SEEK TIME FOR TECHNICAL CHANGES IN UNITS