Environment
CPCB orders closure of Delhi-NCR industries without pollution control devices
Defaulting units have five days to submit work orders or valid exemption certificates, failing which they face closure
The CPCB has directed Delhi-NCR pollution boards to issue closure notices to industries failing to install or retrofit APCDs
Defaulting units have five days to submit work orders or valid exemption certificates, failing which they face closure
Authorities have been instructed to enforce closures, revoke operating consents, disconnect power and submit weekly action-taken reports
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has directed pollution control authorities across Delhi-NCR to immediately issue show-cause notices for closure to industrial units that have failed to place work orders for installing or retrofitting Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) to meet the revised particulate matter emission limit of 50 mg/Nm³.
In a direction issued on Friday under Section 18(1)(b) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the CPCB asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to initiate immediate action against defaulting industries.
The move follows the implementation of the revised emission standard of 50 mg/Nm³ from 1 October 2026. The limit is mandatory for industries covered under the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Direction No. 98, as amended.
Under the latest CPCB directions, pollution control authorities must issue show-cause notices to industrial units covered under Clause 21(i) of CAQM Direction No. 98 that have neither placed work orders for installing new APCDs or retrofitting existing ones nor obtained adequacy assessment reports or exemption certificates from designated agencies, institutes or empanelled original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
The authorities have also been instructed to issue closure orders if the defaulting units fail to provide satisfactory evidence of work orders or valid exemption or adequacy assessment reports within five days.
Such units will remain closed until they place the required work orders and submit a credible timeline for compliance, which must be accepted by the concerned pollution control board.
The revised particulate matter emission limit was initially prescribed under CAQM Direction No. 98, issued on 20 February 2026.
The direction set a maximum permissible PM emission limit of 50 mg/Nm³ for 17 categories of highly polluting industries identified by the CPCB, Red Category (Medium and Large) air-polluting industries, food and food-processing and textile industries operating boilers or thermic fluid heaters, and metal industries with furnaces across Delhi-NCR.
Through an amendment dated 30 July 2026, the CAQM made the revised emission standard applicable to all industries specified under Clause 21(i) of Direction No. 98 from 1 October.
The CPCB had issued directions on 23 March 2026, asking pollution control authorities across the NCR to ensure that covered industries registered on its dedicated online portal by 31 March and submitted work orders for APCD installation or retrofitting by 30 April.
The earlier directions also provided for strict enforcement measures against defaulting units, including closure, revocation of Consent to Operate (CTO), disconnection of electricity and sealing of industrial premises.
However, the CPCB's latest assessment found that several industries had failed to place the required work orders or secure the necessary adequacy assessment reports and exemption certificates.
The CPCB has directed the DPCC and the concerned SPCBs to prepare and share a comprehensive, unit-wise list of industries against which show-cause notices and closure orders have been issued.
The authorities must also submit weekly status reports detailing enforcement action, including revocation of CTOs and disconnection of electricity through the concerned distribution companies (DISCOMs) or district magistrates.
The respective boards and committees have been asked to acknowledge receipt of the directions immediately and submit regular action-taken reports to the CPCB.
Highlighting the contribution of industrial stack emissions to particulate matter concentrations in the National Capital Region, the CPCB stressed the need to control pollution at source, particularly during the winter season when air quality in Delhi-NCR typically comes under pressure.
It warned that the continued operation of industrial units without concrete steps towards meeting the prescribed emission standards poses a serious risk to public health and ambient air quality.
To facilitate compliance monitoring, the CPCB has developed a dedicated online portal for industrial registration and tracking the installation and retrofitting of APCDs.
Industries and authorities can access the portal at https://apcd.cpcb.gov.in.
With IANS inputs