The Gujarat high court issued a slew of orders to stop the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluent into the Sabarmati river and rejuvenate it, including directing the state government to take steps to relocate industrial units in the city centre to industrial estates.
On Thursday, the bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice VD Nanavati issued interim orders in the suo motu PIL to reduce pollution in the river “The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) should make vacant land availability public. The state government will be in charge of drafting offers and incentives for existing businesses in Ahmedabad to relocate to these areas.” The court also ordered GIDC to set up a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) to treat industrial waste from these units as part of this process.
After the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) severed their drainage connections, industrial units such as Arvind Ltd, Ankur Textiles, and Ashima Ltd approached the court, claiming that their industrial discharge was too toxic to be treated by sewage treatment plants. At the request of the Supreme Court, a disconnection operation was launched.
The HC also stated that relocating industrial units outside of the city would reduce air pollution within the city and would allow for the monitoring of trade effluent discharge. The court also stated that, if necessary, the state government may establish and manage a CETP to ensure proper effluent treatment.