NGT orders closure of Bhushan Steel and Strips Ltd for 4 weeks

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has ordered the closure of Bhushan Steel and Strips Limited situated in site -4 industrial area of Sahibabad for 4 weeks declaring it to be a polluting industry.

"This (Bhushan Steel and Strips Limited) industry is directed to be shut down forthwith its operations but initially for a period of four weeks," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

It further said "within a period of four weeks, the industry shall take all remedial measures, ensuring that effluents being discharged by the industry are not in any way excessive than the prescribed parameters.

"Within four weeks from, the industry shall obtain permission from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) for extracting ground water. In the event, CGWA grants permission, the industry shall strictly comply with all the conditions specified in such order."

The order came on an application filed by environment activist Shailesh Singh before NGT alleging that the ground water in Ghaziabad particularly in the Link Road area of Sahibabad is highly contaminated and several industrial units of the area mainly Bhushan Steels Limited is responsible for contamination and extracting high quantity of ground water without permission from the CGWA for their industrial use.

After hearing the matter in detail, the bench observed that the industry is a polluting unit and despite the grant of opportunity by NGT on July 4, 2013, it had failed to remove and rectify the deficiencies.