All about Delhi Pollution Control Committee

Pollution is one of the major concerns in Delhi. To cater to the issue of pollution, the Indian government constituted Pollution Control Boards in each State. In Delhi, Delhi Pollution Control Committee commonly known as DPCC, was formed to address the issues of pollution. We should have knowledge about the environmental concerns and the regulatory bodies present in our society to protect our environment.

Irrespective of the fact whether you are looking to start an industry or running an industry already, everyone should know all about DPCC. In this article, we’ll be discussing about DPCC and much more.

Central Pollution Control Board

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is a statutory organization constituted in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB has been given various powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

It provides field formation and technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The principal Functions of the CPCB is to promote cleanliness of streams in different areas of the States. This is done by prevention, control, and abatement of water pollution. It helps to improve the quality of air and prevent, control, and decrease air pollution.

Besides this, CPCB also has an automatic monitoring station in New Delhi. At this station Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) are being monitored regularly. This information on Air Quality, which is available in  ITO, is updated every week.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC)

The CPCB has the power to perform the function of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) for all the Union Territories. Furthermore, it can also delegate the powers and functions of the State Pollution Control Board/Committee to any person or body of person.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee an autonomous body whose main function is to regulate pollution in Delhi came into existence in 1991. CPCB delegated all its power and function to DPCC.

DPCC implements various environmental control laws. Currently, it has a total of 16 members, which includes chairman, member secretary, representative of various government departments, and experts in the field of environment and NGOs.

DPCC creates awareness about sustainable development by ensuring improvement in the quality of the environment in and around Delhi. For this, it issues consent certificates to industries whether proposed or already running. Moreover, it also grants NOC if there is a change in the process of production or change in the capacity.

Why was DPCC constituted?

A study shows that there are 18 hot spots in Delhi, which majorly contribute to the pollution levels in the city. Moreover, there are nearly 1,30,000 industrial units of which only 25,000 industries are in the planned industrial areas, and the rest exist in residential areas where it is not safe.

With this high level of unorganized industrial sector, DPPC is the need of the hour. We have to bring the pollution levels down by bringing out regulatory checkpoints. Therefore, the consent certificates are very important for establishing a new industry or running an old one.

Nobody is allowed to run any industry or trade without the consent from the Pollution Board under Section 21 of the Air Act. It further states that the application of consent has to be accompanied by documents and DPCC fees.

DPCC Consent Certificate

The government in 1987 declared Delhi as an Air Pollution Control Area. Therefore no industrial plant can emit any air pollutant into the atmosphere without the prior consent of the Committee. And it also implies that no person shall without the consent from DPCC shall establish or operate any industrial plant in Delhi.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee issues the consent to establish to industrial plants before its establishment and consent to operate before the industry starts its operation.

If you are looking to establish an industry or start trade, consent to establish is the first step. If the industry is permissible in Delhi, they have to apply for the consent certificate in a prescribed format available in the official website of DPCC.

What is consent to operate and consent to establish?

Any person who wants to establish an industrial plant or process which is likely to discharge sewage or trade effluents in the stream, well, sewer or land has to obtain the prior consent of the Committee under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Similarly, if any person wants to establish or operate any industrial plant in any air pollution control area has to obtain consent under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 for the discharge of emission of any air pollutant.

Hence, there are two types of consent certificates under DPCC. Consent to establish have to be obtained prior to the establishment of any industry and consent to operate has to be obtained for commissioning the industry and for the continuation of discharge of emission.

Categorization of Industries according to DPCC

• DPCC classifies industries into a red, green, orange, and white category depending on their capital investment and pollution potential.

• Firstly only red, orange and green category industry requires to have consent to establish and consent to operate under the Air and Water Act.

• According to a recent notification dated 10.06.2019, the white category industries have to register online on the DPCC website. A onetime fee of Rs 10,000 has to be paid for white category registration. 

• The period of validity for consent to establish is from one to seven year. On the other hand, the validity of consent to operate and renewal certificate for industries in the red and orange category is 5 years and 10 years for the green category.

• From time to time, DPCC issues notices to industries asking them to get mandatory consent certificates. It especially warns these industries that strict actions would be taken against them if the norms are not complied with.

Conclusion

Delhi has become the worst polluted city in Asia. The increased pollution level has forced the government to take strict actions and bring the level of pollution down. As of now, DPCC gives industries strict guidelines to follow. All the industries should necessarily get consent certificates for making Delhi pollution free.

For more information about DPCC and for obtaining consent from DPCC, contact our team of experts at LawyerINC. We will assist you in drafting and filing an application with DPCC.