Wasteful Expenditure?

Most of the units affected by the Gujarat High Court judgement are in the small-scale sector, woefully short on capital resources, space or technical knowhow to go in for individual effluent treatment plants. They complain that they set up their units under assurance from the government that it would set up common plants for them. "It is simply not possible for any of these industries to neutralise effluent," says B.V. Anjaria, a Vapi-based pollution consultant. "The economics doesn't allow it." Says A. R. Garde, director of the Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association: Three to five per cent of your total sales turnover can go in pollution control."

The other complaint is that selective, geographical targeting of industry would leave Gujarat uncompetitive vis-a-vis other states. Says O.P. Jain, owner of Gujarat Dyestuffs, one of the 26 units closed down at Nandesari: "If my counterpart in Maharashtra can make dye intermediates cheaper because the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board is not as stringent as the Gujarat one, my sales are going to suffer. The pollution boards should see to it that implementation of rules is universal."