Bengaluru, Feb 3 (KNN) Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) has suggested the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to set up a common effluent treatment plants (CETP) at industrial estates/industrial areas to enable industries to follow pollution control by disposing off the effluents generated properly.

This will help speed up the CETP being set up in Peenya an industrial area of Bengaluru, said KASSIA at an interaction meet with Shanth A. Thimmaiah, Chairman and Srinivasulu, IFS, Member-Secretary, KSPCB on Thursday.

K.N. Narasimhamurthy, President, KASSIA also complained that many micro and small scale industries were being harassed by KSPCB officials by way of notice being issued to them for non-compliance of pollution control.

It pointed out that such notices were also issued to industries who had applied for consent through the KSPCB helpdesk at KASSIA and requested the Board to take note above of these grievances for redressal.

KASSIA also called for reducing consent fee as the present fee levied was not affordable to most industries and also suggested that the consent fee should be fixed based on value of plant & machinery as mentioned in the balance sheet and not as per the invoice value.

It also said such calculation should not include the value of land & building, office equipment, furniture, computer software, which were non-polluting assets.

KASSIA highlighted that the government had assured to reduce the consent fee in 2021 during an interaction meeting with the Minister Tourism, Environment & Ecology at KASSIA in 2021 but this decision had not been taken forward.

It also requested that industrial units licensed to operate for 10 years with consent, in rental premises, when they shifted from one place to another within the same location should be allowed to operate under the same consent and not be required to once again apply for fresh consent.

Members also sought the KSPCB to facilitate online filing of application for consent as part of improving ease of doing business.  (KNN Bureau)