Overview of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is an authority that is implementing different environmental legislation in Maharashtra. The environmental legislation includes the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1981; Water (Cess) Act, 1977; Environment (Protection) Act,1986; and the rules made thereunder like Biomedical Waste (M&H) Rules, 1988; Hazardous Waste (M&H) Rules, 2000; Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000, etc.
The MPCB was established on the 7th of September, 1970, to function under the administrative control of the Environment Department of the Maharashtra Government. It is an organization that is responsible for the control of pollution in the state of Maharashtra. It implements taxes and fines to control the various types of pollution.
The industry, operation or process or an extension and medical institutions that discharges, store, handle and transport wastes which pollute the environment have to obtain approval from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board Consent and Categories
The individual or business entity is required to obtain prior consent from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board under the Water and Air Act, mainly to set up a business or factory without the intention to cause harm to the human health or the environment.
There are two types of consent required by them:
- Consent to establish
The consent for establishment is the first and primary level of consent required by the industry, operation or process from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, ensuring that the pollution aspects are followed under the Pollution Act.
- Consent to Operate
The consent for operation is a secondary level of consent required by the industry or business to obtain from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board before the commission of industry and for the continuation of discharge of effluents and emissions, ensuring that the pollution aspects are followed under the Pollution Act.
Certain industries are exempted from obtaining these consents. These industries satisfy some of the following important conditions:
The MPCB has primarily four categories of its consent: Red, Orange, Green and White; on the basis of the pollution index score as follows:
- Red: industries having a pollution index score of 60 and above
- Orange: industries having pollution index scores of 41 to 59
- Green: industries having pollution index scores of 21 to 40
- White: industries having pollution index score of up to 20
Functions of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board
The following are the main functions of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board:
To attend to the public complaints regarding pollution.
Documents for Maharashtra Pollution Control Board consent
The documents required for filing an application to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board are the following:
Procedure for Maharashtra Pollution Control Board Consent
The consent by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board under the Water and Air Act is obtained by fulfilling the following steps:
- Registration
The industry or business has to register with MPCB before applying for consent. Registration is done after filing all relevant details.
- Common Application Form
The industry or business has to fill Common Application Form (CAF). Here the applicant has to provide all the required information. The information may contain his details, including name, contact and address, location details, head office details, industry details, nature of the project, expected total cost, proposed means of financing, details of production, etc.
- Documents
The applicant submits all the relevant documents, including the applicant's identification details (ID), TIN Certificate, and Udyog Aadhar. After submission of all the documents, the applicant has to pay a nominal fee of Rs. 20.
- Application for consent
Now the applicant has to apply for the consent of MPCB. The applicant provides details for the consent he wishes to obtain only. Here the applicant mainly has to provide details of himself and the industry. The applicant also has to submit the requisite documents as asked by the MPCB for this purpose. After submission of the documents, the fee is also paid by the applicant.
- Grant of Consent
The consent is issued to the applicant by the MPCB once he has followed all the above-mentioned steps correctly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Consent to Establish
- Consent to Operate
- Renewal of Consent
- The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
- The Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
- Sub-Regional Officer
- Regional Officer
- Head of Departments
- Consent Committee
- Consent Appraisal Committee