- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, August 30, 2022 : The Chairman of Tripura State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) – Prof Basant Kumar Agarwala on Tuesday asked Brick Kilns owners of the state to switch over to zig-zag technology vide Environment (Protection) Amendment Rules, 2022 from September 01 next.
The board organized an interactive session with owners of Brick Kilns of the state at Muktadhara auditorium here in Agartala city on Tuesday morning where TSPCB chairman Prof Agarwala presided over the meeting. However, the meeting was attended by the President and Secretary of the Tripura Brick Kilns Association, Gouranga Das and Sanjib Chaudhuri, respectively.
Addressing the session, chairman Prof Agarwala informed the house that the new guidelines will come into effect from September 01, 2022 i.e. Wednesday next and brick kiln owners who will switch over to zig-zag kilns within two years will be offered cash incentive of Rs 1 lakh and relief from the payment of consent fees on extra capital investment.
He informed the house that the new technology is necessary for the safety of the environment of the state in view of increasing demands for construction materials for development. “No responsible society can compromise with the quality of basic needs of life such as pollution free air and water. In the interest of the present and future generations of the state, it is necessary that we take responsible steps towards the protection of our environment”, he added.
Prof Agarwala also said “Adoption of new guidelines by the brick kilns will not only save the environment from pollution but also benefit the brick kiln owners by using less coal, and producing much better quality of bricks at lower costs. Use of piped natural gas is a much better option of using as fuel instead of coal.”
“All concerns will work with different agencies like ONGC, GAIL, and TNGCL, etc. for providing necessary infrastructural facilities at Jirania and Mohanpur clusters of brick kilns in the first phase so that brick kiln owners can get the gas supply at the earliest”, he added.
Member Secretary Dr Bishu Karmakar and Executive Engineer Manas Mukherjee, Joint Director Babul Chakraborty of the Department of Science, Technology & Environment were among the dignitaries present on the dais. They all spoke on different aspects of the new guidelines issued by the ministry of environment, forests & climate change, government of India and its benefits in the control of air pollution.
