The Centre has decided to re-categorise industries into Red, Orange, and Green based on pollution potential in order to adopt pollution criteria. Briefing media in New Delhi last evening, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar said, a resolution to this effect was adopted at the two-day State Environment and Forest Ministers’ Conference.
He said industries under Red category will be given consent to operate with the validity period of five years, and industries under Orange category will be given consent to operate for ten years. Mr Javadekar said Industries under green category will be given a one time consent.
The Minister also said that construction waste is one of the major reasons for air pollution. He said, the Ministry will come out with rules to deal with the health hazards posed by the waste generated from construction.
The two-day conference deliberated upon a wide range of issues including waste to wealth, ease of doing business, TSR Subramanian committee recommendations, forest, wildlife, pollution-related issues, biodiversity and climate change. Almost 30 ministers participated from different states, and 400 personnel took part in the conference.
