Environment ministry to colour code industries

New Delhi: India's environment ministry has sought to classify industrial units in a category of colours based on their pollution potential, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

Guided by the need for stringent action against more polluting industries, the re-categorisation would classify industries under red, orange, and green on how they score on a scale ranging between 15 and 60, while those getting below 15 will be considered "white" causing almost no pollution.

A score higher than 60 would attract the label of "red", that between 30 and 59 would lead the industry to be categorized as orange while green will be given to those between 15 and 29.

"We have decided to re-categorize industrial sector depending on their pollution potential. Earlier, the categorization was not reflecting the pollution potential. This is an important step," Javadekar told reporters here.

The system of annual renewal of certification for industries is also being scrapped with a scheme that ties in with the colour-coded categories.

"We want to do away with every year renewal of the industries. We have suggested five years renewal for red category, ten years for orange and one time certification for green," Javadekar said.

The proposal was part of the resolution adopted at the two-day state environment and forest ministers conference that concluded here on Tuesday.