The bulk drug manufacturers in Andhra Pradesh have urged the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) to issue CFOs (consent for operations) with a validity period of five years in line with other progressive states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. Presently, the CFOs in Andhra Pradesh are issued by the APPCB for two years.

Seeking state government's urgent intervention in the matter, the Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA) said that the validity period of CFO at present is limited to only two to three years. Though the APPCB is considerate and allows the industries to keep functioning while the CFO renewal is in progress, the industry is not rated positively by various international customer auditors where the industry is marketing the products on the plea that the industry is running without any valid consent document. So, CFOs may be granted automatically on administrative procedure itself, if there is no change in product mix, BDMA president M Narayana Reddy said.

A BDMA delegation had recently met the state minister for forests and environment Ramachandra Reddy and sought his intervention in the matter for a lasting solution to the issue.

"The CFOs are granted by APPCB for a validity period of three years only, whereas in states like Gujarat and Maharashtra, the respective PCBs are granting approvals with a validity period of five years. We request you also to kindly instruct APPCB to issue CFOs with a validity period of five years in line with other progressive states like Maharashtra and Gujarat," BDMA delegation said.

The BDMA also raised the issue of organic and inorganic solid waste generation being restricted by the APPCB.

"At present we have got world class scientifically approved TSDF where all the inorganic salts can be disposed for the landfill after suitable treatment. Similarly for the organic waste the incinerators have been installed by individual industries and also at TSDF where the organic waste can be incinerated without causing any pollution. Also, the methods followed by western countries to utilize the organic waste as fuel in cement industries has been approved by APPCB and industries are following it. Hence, the restriction may not be imposed and the waste generated whatever be the quantity may be disposed of in the approved facility or may be sold to brick manufacturers," BDMA said.