Aurangabad: A total of 656 poultry farms and hatcheries in the state that are being run with the consent of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will now have to follow stricter norms and take every precaution to ensure that they are not causing pollution and inconvenience to people.
The National Green Tribunal, Western Zone Pune, comprising Justice U D Salvi and Bikram Singh Sajwan, recently directed the MPCB as well as Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to formulate comprehensive guidelines in consonance with the guidelines issued by the Haryana Pollution Control Board dated 25.5.2013 and guidelines issued by CPCB on 20.10.2015 regarding better management of poultry farms.
The tribunal's directive came on a petition by Badrinath Shinde of Newasa taluka in Ahmednagar district.
Out of the 656 poultry farms and hatcheries in the state, Kolhapur leads with 354 such facilities, followed by Nashik (112), Aurangabad (67) and Pune (44).
Out of 12 regions under the MPCB, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Chandrapur regions don't account for poultry farms or hatcheries that have either applied or sought consent from the MPCB. The other regions that account for poultry farms and hatcheries are Raigad (2), Nagpur (37) and Amravati (31).
On behalf of the villagers of Suregaon in Newasa taluka, Shinde had approached the NGT, Pune, through lawyer AsimSarode, complaining that the poultry farm in their vicinity has been causing constant foul smell, unhealthy air, contaminated ambient air quality and various health hazards.
The petitioner had sought directions to the MPCB, CPCB and Environment Department of the state of Maharashtra, which were made respondents, to formulate comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines to address the problems of pollution from poultry farms and hatcheries in the state in consonance with the directions already issued by the CBCB.
The villagers of Gram Panchayat Suregaon had earlier approached the tehsildar in 2013, raising the issues of odor nuisance, air pollution and danger which has caused to the farmland and health rights of the people situated around the village.
When the tehsildar failed to take cognizance of their plea, the villagers approached the NGT through Sarode.
"These directions have clearly established that no poultry farm can function irresponsibily and without caring for the environment. It is now obligatory on the MPCB to monitor the poultry farms more vigilantly," said Sarode.
