Electroplating industry on the edge post-Giaspura tragedy

LUDHIANA: The electroplating industry of Ludhiana is on tenterhooks following the Giaspura gas leak tragedy. Electroplating units in the area still have not got a clean chit from the authorities. Meanwhile, businessmen within the industry insist that they strictly adhere to all regulations and do not deal with hazardous chemicals capable of causing such gas leaks.
Industrialists also claimed that every electroplating unit in the city is a member of the Ludhiana Effluents Treatment Society (LETS), which manages the common effluent treatment plant (CETP), and that they are fully compliant with environmental norms.
Rajan Gupta, vice-president, Ludhiana Electroplaters Association (LEA), said, “From the very first day, the electroplating units have been unfairly held responsible for the gas leak, without any concrete evidence to support such claims. The image of our industry has been tarnished and we have been crowned as villains responsible for this unfortunate incident.”
Claiming that reality is other way round, Gupta said, “There are approximately 1,500 electroplating units engaged in job work or in-house production, and all of these are totally compliant when it comes to adhering to rules and regulations. All these factories have obtained proper approval from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and ensure that the water used for chemical treatment is treated by LETS.”
Industrialists also refuted the allegations that several electroplating factories are discharging effluents in the sewerage system or disposing it of in vacant plots as these units have been unable to get consent from LETS and PPCB for treatment for the effluent.
LETS CEO Narinder Bhamra said, “The existing CETP for the electroplating industry has the capacity to treat 8 lakh litres of chemically contaminated water every month. LETS has approximately 2,000 member factories, with the majority involved in electroplating. Over the last five years the capacity of this plant to treat water has been doubled after effluent discharge quantity of member factories increased. This clearly indicates that all the members are sending their effluents for treatment at CETP only and not indulging in any malpractices.”
Bhamra said water used by these factories is safely transported to the CETP, where it undergoes 100% treatment, leaving no trace of any environmentally hazardous materials. “The significant increase in effluent treatment from 2 lakh liters at the Focal Point CETP to four times that amount is evidence that even previously non-compliant factories have now fallen in line with environmental norms,” Bhamra added.
Bizmen are also of the view that the electroplating industry of Ludhiana does not use hazardous chemicals which can cause such type of mishaps. LETS secretary Gurmeet Singh Kular said, “Ludhiana's electroplating industry primarily uses mild chemicals such as nickel, sulfuric acid, and chromic acid. Therefore, the chances of a tragedy like the one in Giaspura occurring due to the discharge of effluent into municipal sewers are highly unlikely.”