Government to build 10 CETPs in Erode and Namakkal

Replying to the debate on demand for grants for the environment department in the Assembly, state Environment Minister CV Meyyanathan said that taking into consideration the key role played by MSMEs and their constraints in complying with pollution control norms individually by the units, the Union Environment Ministry initiated an innovative technical and financial support scheme to ensure their growth in an environmentally compatible manner.

Stating that Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) plays a supportive role towards the establishment of CETPs for clusters of small scale industries in various parts of the state, Meyyanathan told the House that apart from the 19 CETPs in existence for textile bleaching and dyeing units, 10 CETPS are to be developed at Erode and Namakkal districts with funding under Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS) of the Union Textile Ministry.

The Minister also informed that the Care Air Centre established in Chennai to monitor industrial stack emissions and ambient air quality of surrounding areas on a real-time basis has 405 units connected to it for stack monitoring and 154 units for ambient air quality monitoring. Following its success, the water quality watch center was established in 2015 with 370 units connected to it for real-time monitoring, he added.