BELAGAVI/KALABURAGI: In a major development, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has ordered the closure of a sugar mill owned by Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanguda Patil Yatnal in Chinmaidalai village of Chincholi taluk in Kalaburgi district.
Sources said Sidashri Sugar Mill was ordered to shut down for allegedly releasing contaminated water from the factory into Muramari Dam.
Officials said the board had directed relevant departments to cut off water and electricity supply to the factory for violating government guidelines. “The decision to file legal action against the factory was taken for the first time after complaints from farmers that contaminated water was being released into the dam,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Yatnal said he is undeterred by the government's measures and will launch a legal battle to keep the factory open. He told Mr.
Yatnal said the factory was set up in a backward area with the aim of creating employment for the local people. He added that if factories are closed for no logical reason, it won't help anyone.
Meanwhile, Forest and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre defended the government's action.
“The Yatnal factory crushed hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sugarcane without permission from the authorities concerned. A year ago, the Union government had imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 billion on Yatnal for violating environmental protection laws. Yatnal has paid the penalty. If this is true, Yatnal's claim that the state government's action is politically motivated is baseless,” Khandre told reporters in Kalaburagi on Saturday. .
At a meeting of the pollution control committee held a week ago, Candre called on authorities to investigate the number of factories that violated environmental protection laws and sought reports on violators. Based on the report, the government has started taking action against factories polluting air and water, Kandol revealed.
