Rice exporters, millers, and industrialists in Haryana on Monday raised concerns over revised particulate matter (PM) emission norms before Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar. The industry representatives met Khattar at the PWD Rest House in Karnal, following the decision by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) to tighten PM emission standards for industries in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Stricter emission limits and industry opposition
Under the revised guidelines, the permissible PM emission limit for biomass fuel-based boilers has been reduced from 80 mg/Nm³ to 50 mg/Nm³. Representatives of various associations opposed the move, arguing that the stricter norms would impose a significant financial burden on industries already facing economic challenges. They sought a one-year deferment of the revised standards. Additionally, they proposed that if the 50 mg/Nm³ limit is enforced, it should be treated as an annual average, while the maximum permissible limit should remain 80 mg/Nm³.
Assurances from the Union Minister
The rice exporters reported that the Union Minister assured them that their concerns would be taken up with the concerned authorities. Another key demand was the removal of mandatory third-party emission verification for industries already complying with norms through real-time online monitoring systems. Sushil Jain, president of the Haryana Rice Exporters Association (HREA), stated, “We have requested a one-year deferment and the Union Minister has assured us.”
Retention of Karnal under Category-III NCR
Jain further informed that the association urged the Minister to retain Karnal under Category-III of the NCR, citing its distance of more than 100 km from Delhi and seeking regulatory relaxation. He also highlighted shortcomings in the industrial regularisation scheme introduced last year, noting that the requirement of at least 50 industries within a 10-acre area was impractical. “We demanded provisions allowing individual industrial units to benefit from the scheme,” he said.
Storage space shortage at FCI godown
Saurabh Gupta, president of the Karnal Rice Millers and Dealers Association, raised the issue of storage space shortage at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown in Karnal. He explained that rice millers were unable to deliver custom-milled rice due to space constraints caused by large wheat stocks and the allocation of CMR delivery from other districts to the Karnal godown.
