National News

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill, 2024

February 18 , 2024 960 days 2068 0

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill, 2024 proposing changes to the Act was moved and cleared in both houses of the Parliament within a span of 72 hours.
The legislation weakens the original Act that came into force 50 years ago.
Central and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) are based on the 1974 Act.
The amended version of the Act will currently apply to Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and the Union territories.
The original Act, passed in 1974, is applicable in 25 States.
The most important change is that it removes the provisions of imprisonment for several violations, deemed “minor”, and replaces them with fines, to the tune of ₹10,000 extending up to ₹15 lakh.
The amendments also give the Centre greater authority to over-ride SPCB in some instances.
Operating or establishing an industrial unit without SPCB consent can still land you in jail for six years along with a fine.
The Bill also adds that the Centre may issue guidelines for the grant, refusal, or cancellation of consent granted by the SPCB.
It also penalises tampering with monitoring devices used in determining whether any industry or treatment plant can be set up.