With depleting air quality, CAQM orders 16 industrial units to be shut in National Capital Region

The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas has issued closure directions to 16 industrial units in the National Capital Region (NCR) after inspections revealed “gross and persistent violations”, the CAQM said on Friday.

The overall air quality of Delhi worsened to the ‘very poor’ category on Friday with the air quality index (AQI) notching up 345, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

The inspections revealed a range of “serious environmental violations”, including operating without obtaining mandatory consent to operate (CTO), non-installation or non-functioning air pollution control devices (APCDs), use of unapproved fuels, and visible smoke or emissions from industrial processes among others, as per the CAQM.

“In several cases, units were found operating in blatant disregard of extant statutes, statutory directions and environmental norms,” the CAQM said in a statement.