Oil Companies Fined 1 Crore For Not Complying With Anti-Pollution Norms

New Delhi: The Central Pollution Control Board has fined Rs. 1 crore each on three oil companies for their failure to install anti-pollution “vapour recovery” systems at fuel stations.The fine has been slapped on public sector oil firms Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited. Vapour recovery device is an instrument to capture displaced vapours that emerge from inside a vehicle’s fuel tank while filling petrol or diesel in it.
In separate notices issued to the oil companies dated December 12, CPCB Chairperson SPS Parihar had said the pollution regulator’s teams found during the inspection that the vapour recovery systems were either not installed or were not functioning at the fuel stations and sought an explanation for the same.

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Mr Parihar noted that the explanation given to the pollution watchdog was “unsatisfactory”, following which he directed the three oil companies to pay an environmental compensation of Rs. 1 crore each. Noting that petrol re-fueling stations are a major source of benzene emission which is a carcinogenic compound and people in its vicinity can be at risk of its exposure, Mr Parihar said installation of vapour recovery systems is an important step in improving air quality.

He further said the three companies need to submit a compliance report on directions of the National Green Tribunal which had ordered all public sector oil companies to install vapour recovery devices at all fuel stations by October 31.

The tribunal had directed the three oil companies to install stage-I and stage-II vapour recovery devices by October 31 and asked the CPCB and the Ministry of Petroleum to issue directions for the same and ensure that necessary steps are taken.

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NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.