The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA) are in a tussle over the  issue of pollution problems in the state. While the bulk drug firms claiming that they have installed most sophisticated in house effluent treatment plants with zero pollution discharges, the state PCB is of the stand that the bulk drug units are manufacturing drugs in excess of the permitted capacities.

According to sources in BDMA, the PCB and other regulatory authorities are unnecessarily harassing the pharma companies citing silly reasons and issuing closure notices. “The PCB officials are tying the entire industry under one knot and issuing notices to all the firms without going into the specifics. There may be occasions of small lapses occurred at some places but that doesn’t mean that the industry is unmindful of the pollution control norms. The days have changed during the past one decade and every small manufacturing firm has installed most sophisticated instruments to ensure zero percent discharge,” said Krishna Reddy, ED, BDMA.

On the other hand the PCB has alleged that bulk drug companies are ignoring the pollution control norms and their units are manufacturing drugs in excess of the permitted quantities. The charges from PCB also include that pharmaceutical firms are responsible for unauthorized manufacture of these drugs which is the main reason for increasing pollution. “Despite permission being taken to manufacture a certain quantity and category of drugs, these units allegedly exceed the prescribed limit, by more than 30 per cent in certain cases,” pointed a spokes person from PCB.

It is also alleged by the pollution control authorities that the pharma companies are manufacturing excess drug products and in some cases new drugs are also manufactured without taking permission. For production of every specific drug, the pharma companies need to follow certain pollution control norms, but they are ignoring this and producing new drugs under the guise of old permits.

Taking this into account the PCB had already clamped closure notices to 8 pharma companies in Nalgonda districts last month.

However, the pharma companies maintained that they have to change their products due to business exigencies, and this does not impact on the pollution load in the state. They maintain that their Zero Process Liquid Discharge unit takes care of any increase in solid waste in a scientific and technical manner. Pharmaceutical firms claim they use sophisticated treatment facilities to solidify liquid waste through a vapourization process.

In fact, the issue became worse when AP High court ordered PCB to issue closure notices to the polluting pharma units in the state. It all began with a plea filed in the AP High Court by Maa Telangana Party chief Veera Reddy. Twelve firms including Dr Reddy’s Labs, Aurobindo Pharma, Divis Labs, Matrix Labs and Hetero Pharma, appealed against the pollution board’s orders to adhere to the permitted quantities.

The issue is now being probed by a panel appointed by the Appellate Authority under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.