MPCB Fails to Enforce Pollution Rules: CAG Report

Mumbai, Mar 25 (PTI) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged serious deficiencies in the functioning of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) between 2017 and 2022, stating that many industries were found to be operating without mandatory consents and discharging untreated effluents into water bodies.

The 'Subject Specific Compliance Audit' on the role of MPCB in the prevention of water pollution, covering the period 2017-18 to 2021-22, found that despite legal provisions, several industries were functioning without obtaining consent to establish and operate.

MPCB, which has powers to even order the closure of a plant for violation of rules, was found wanting in enforcement, said the report, tabled before the Maharashtra legislative assembly.

The audit was conducted between June and November 2022 and included "joint physical verification" of 158 industries.

The CAG noted that monitoring was severely constrained due to shortage of manpower, resulting in fewer inspections.

During physical verification, the auditors found that polluted effluents and untreated sewage were being released into water bodies, effluent treatment plants (ETPs) did not function properly, and Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) were not installed.

The report also noted irregularities in assessment and collection of consent fees, stating that these were not consistently based on industries' balance sheets and Ready Reckoner (RR) rates, leading to short charging.


MPCB failed to obtain or verify bank guarantees in cases of non-compliance and did not initiate forfeiture where required, the audit found.

A significant shortfall ranging between 53.50 per cent and 68.35 per cent was observed in inspection visits to industries, the report said.

Inspections of highly polluting industries such as sugar, paper and pharmaceutical units fell short by 58 to 84 per cent, the audit said, noting persistent non-compliance with prescribed standards in these sectors.

During joint verification of seven sugar industries, treated effluent samples collected at the outlet of ETPs exceeded permissible limits, indicating ineffective treatment. In five Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), only 6 to 23 parameters were tested against the prescribed range of 12 to 53.

Out of 12,319 samples tested across six regional offices of MPCB, as many as 5,033 samples did not comply with prescribed standards. Further, 14 industries connected to CETPs were found discharging effluents beyond permissible limits for periods ranging from five to 37 months, but regional offices took no action against them.

These "systemic" failures weakened pollution control, said the CAG.



The MPCB should proactively coordinate with other government departments to bring all operational industries under the consent regime, fill sanctioned posts, and ensure strict enforcement of consent conditions, particularly for highly polluting industries, it said.