BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has decided to keep bank guarantee from industries to put pressure on them to comply with environmental norms in a time-bound manner.

If the norms are not complied with in the stipulated period, the firm will forfeit the guarantee amount, board sources said on Monday.

Setting up of effluent treatment plants to prevent water pollution and installing electro static precipitator to check air pollution are two important environmental norms. "If a particular industry is asked to install effluent treatment plant within a certain date, it has to deposit 10% cost of the plant with the board in the shape of bank guarantee," said OSPCB member-secretary Rajiv Kumar.

He said National Green Tribunal (NGT) has approved the bank guarantee plan. "The NGT had rejected a plea by an industry against the bank guarantee plan. Although there are no such laid-down rules, the NGT verdict can act as a precedent," said Kumar.

Official sources said the board from time to time reviews pollution status of industries and asks them to follow certain environmental norms.

"During inspection, if the board officials find some environmental norms being violated, they serve notices to industries, directing them to take measures for curbing pollution," said a board official.

The board will also keep bank guarantee from industries that have not implemented monitoring of pollution online, which the board made mandatory in 2012.

"The highly-polluting industries have to install the required device to facilitate online monitoring of pollution. If they don't install them in time, their bank guarantee will be forfeited too," said the official.