Tamil Nadu Pollution Board NOC

In accordance with the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Government of Tamil Nadu established the Tamil Nadu Prevention and Control of Water Pollution Board on February 27, 1982 (27-2-1982). (Central Act 6 of 1974). In 1983, the Board's name was changed to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). It carries out the requirements of the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981, and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974. 

On February 27, 1982, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) was founded. It operates with a Chennai head office, eight zonal offices, and 38 district offices. The Chairman runs the Board office, Joint Chief Environmental Engineers run the Zonal offices, District Environmental Engineers run the 38 District offices, and Assistant Environmental Engineers run the three AEE offices. Additionally, five flying squads led by environmental engineers are in operation in the cities of Chennai, Erode, Salem, Tiruppur, and Vellore.

• Pollution should be reduced as much as feasible at the source while also taking into account current technical developments, financial viability, and the responsiveness of the surrounding environment. This goal is achieved by establishing disposal standards and laws governing gaseous emissions.
• By selecting suitable locations for the construction of new industrial applications or estates, pollution can be lessened.
• One can significantly improve the state's ecology by implementing the laws into practice.
• Reduce water use and operational expenses by maximizing the recycling and reuse of commercial and wastewater discharge for agricultural and industrial purposes following adequate treatment. The approach also helps to prevent water contamination because there are fewer waste discharges into receiving bodies and water sources.
• Establishing policies and practices to maximize reuse, recycling, and disposal of hazardous waste.
• In order to develop research into and evaluation of pollution-related issues, promote the conduct of such research and involvement in such research.

What are the Functions of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) Registration?

The following are the primary duties assigned to the TNPCB under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 as well as the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981-

• To work with the Central Pollution Control Board to organize mass education programs and the training of anyone involved or planning to be involved in programs linked to the prevention, control, or reduction of water and air pollution.
• To develop the most effective, commercially viable treatment solution for trade effluents and sewage
• To check places where air pollution is controlled in order to evaluate the quality of the air there and to take action to prevent, control, or lessen air pollution there.
• To evaluate the efficiency of wastewater and trade treatment plants for effluents and to examine the plans and specs for corrective measures
• To provide state government with advice on any issue about the reduction of water pollution and air pollution, including prevention, control, and mitigation
• To gather and spread knowledge about water and air pollution, as well as ways to prevent, regulate, or lessen it.
• Inspecting industrial facilities, manufacturing processes, and any control devices, and guiding how to take action to prevent, control, or reduce air pollution
• To establish, alter, or annually revise regulations for sewage and commercial effluents, as well as for the release of any pollutants in the air into the air from any other origin and the emission of pollutants from industrial facilities and vehicles.
• To gather samples of trade effluents, sewage, and air pollution emissions, and to evaluate those samples for a set of parameters.
• Must carry out any additional duties that the Central or State Pollution Control Board may specify.

Several firms' operations have been restricted by notices published by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Industries were separated into Red, Orange, Green, and White categories to help decide where to locate these enterprises. Later, the use of this concept was expanded to other regions of the nation in order to achieve several goals, including the regulation of permission and the creation of regulations for the oversight and examination of firms. The size of the enterprises and resource use have been the main factors in categorizing processes.

Any industrial industry's Pollutant Index, or PI, is a number between 0 and 100; an increasing PI value indicates a heavier pollution burden from that sector. After numerous brainstorming sessions involving the CPCB, SPCBs, and MoEFCC, the following Range of Pollutant Index standard for defining industry sectors has been finalized.

• Red Category: Industries with a PI ranging from 60 or higher. Such an area consists of those units that emit a toxic level of pollutants and effluents are released. Industries falling in the red category are not permitted in ecologically sensitive or protected regions.
• Orange Category: Industries with a PI ranging from 41 to 59. Those industries that create high-level pollution but are considerably lesser than those in the red category fall in the orange category. 
• Green Category: Industries with a PI ranging from 21 to 40. Those who do not create pollution to toxic levels but emissions from enterprises are at a moderate level are a part of the Green Category.  
• White Category: Industries with a PI ranging 20 or lower. Such industries create low to no pollution. It is further not mandatory for industries under the white category to obtain a CTE or NOC.

Based on gross fixed assets, the TNPCB has further categorized industries as Large, Medium, and Small.

Important Committees under the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) Certificate

1. For Consent

• District-Level Consent Clearance Committee (DLCCC)

To grant all Orange Small category units and all sizes of Green category units consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO), the Board has established a District-Level Consent Clearance Committee. 

• Zonal Level Consent Clearance Committee (ZLCCC)

The Board has established a Zonal Level Consent Clearance Committee to provide all Red Small, Orange Large, and Orange Medium units consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO).

• Consent Clearance Committee (CCC)

The Board has established a Consent Clearance Committee to provide all Red Large and Medium Category units consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO)

• Technical Sub Committee (TSC)

The Board has established a Technical Sub-Committee to award all Red Large and Medium Category Units Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO).

2. For the Expansion / Modernization/product mix in the existing Environmental Clearance - Pollution Load Assessment Committee (PLAC) 

3. District-level action against the polluting/illegal units- District Co-Ordination Committee (DCC).

How to Apply for a CTE/CTO?

The Online Consent Management and Monitoring System (OCMMS) is used to process all applications and provide consent. One can easily apply for the relevant consent online by following the procedure.

The TNPCB approves new sectors in two steps. Before an industry begins construction, consent to establish is granted based on the availability of the site, and consent to operate is granted following the installation of pollution prevention measures by the unit to meet regulations. The field officials of the Board regularly check each industry under their purview to determine whether the effluent and gas emission treatment procedures are adequate. 

What is the Consent required under the TNPCB?

• Consent to Establish

According to the requirements of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981, all new intended projects (developmental and industrial) are required to obtain "Consent to Establish" (commonly known as a NOC) from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

• Consent to Operate

According to the requirements of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981, all operating units and those starting operations after a NOC issued by the Board must obtain "Consent to Operate" from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Authority.

The procedure for obtaining Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) in the State of Tamil Nadu dealt with the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Water Pollution Act,1969. Also, the provisions of the Board were formed in accordance with the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and Section 5 of the Air (P &CP) Act, 1981. The Project Proponent and Start-ups who are willing to run their business project must have to obtain consent before the establishment of the Project anywhere in the State of Tamil Nadu. All the Projects, Industries, Non-industries units have been categorized under four categories that are Red, Orange, Green, and White according to the range under which it comes in the Pollution Index and Pollution Potential for Consent management. Since the given date of the project which is already in Operation needs to obtain Consent to operate and there is no need to obtain Consent to Establish permission as such Projects are already established and might be in operation.

Let’s understand the procedure:

• Connect with the Corpseed team.
• Provide necessary documents for the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) Consent/CTE/CTO
• We will assign a dedicated Consultant, an expert in managing the whole process of getting Consent/CTE/CTO from TNPCB
• Our Pollution Control expert will reach out to you and complete the procedure to obtain a Pollution License for your Business
• Our Expert Consultant will draft & apply with Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)
• We will deliver Consent/CTE/CTO to you via email and courier

Restriction on the Establishment of Project at a certain Location

The Project/Industries shall only be able to operate at a certain location such as in Ecologically Fragile areas/Protected areas/residential areas or colonies.

What are the Documents required for a NOC?

• A cover request letter that clearly outlines the project status, the industry, and the activities.
• Copy of an attested sale deed, lease deed, or another pertinent document as evidence of possession of the plant or site for which the applicant is making the application
• In the event of public or private sectors, a copy of the Memorandum of Articles or, in the case of a partnership company, a Registered Partnership Deed.
• Plans illustrating the locations of different process equipment, utilities such as a boiler, generator, etc., an effluent treatment plant, the location of the outlet, and a storage yard for hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
• Topographical map indicating the locations of sensitive regions within a 1-kilometer radius of the units, including water bodies, roads, existing and prospective residential neighborhoods, agricultural lands, significant religious sites, academic institutions, ancient monuments, and archaeological sites.
• For each product, a full production process and process flow chart must be provided.
• Water balance and effluent balance information for the process for each product and process, specifics of the material balance. 
• Certificates of land use classification from the CMDA, DTCP, and LPA.
• A properly certified Auditor's Certificate in the required format, including a breakdown of the planned Gross Fixed Assets.
• Obtaining groundwater approval from the appropriate authority (if applicable). 
•  A proposal for a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) must include information on the design features of sewage, the treatment process, the mode of disposal, the design criteria for different units, a detailed drawing of the STP and its layout, a diagram displaying the hydraulic profile, and information on the phase of disposal of treated wastewater and the sufficiency of that disposal method. (If applicable). 
• Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) proposal must include details such as breakdown quantities of water requirements with sources, breakdown quantities of trade raw sewage, sources of trade effluent, attributes of wastewater, treatment methods, mode of disposal, design criteria for different units, detailed drawings of ETP and its layout, diagrams showing the hydraulic profile, and modes of disposal of treated effluent and their sufficiency. (If applicable). 
• The proposal for Air Pollution Control (APC) measures must include information about the fuels used, the sources of emissions, the characteristics, concentration, and quality of the pollutant, design criteria and drawings for the proposed APC measures, the sufficiency of the proposed APC measures, and the operations that cause odors and noise and their specific odor and noise control measures. (If appropriate)
• The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for every item should be enclosed when hazardous substances are used as raw materials. The following documentation must be provided by the unit by the Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC) Rules (if applicable) if the number of hazardous chemicals handled above the threshold limit: a risk assessment report, an on-site emergency plan, and an off-site emergency plan.
• Details about the substances being carried, the mode of transportation, and any safety precautions. (If applicable).  
• Industries receiving an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification are required to submit the EIA Report along with an Environmental Clearance from the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MOEF) or State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). (If applicable). 
• Clearance for the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) is acquired from the appropriate Authority (If applicable).

The Business Reforms Action Plan 2017 has been provided transparently by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Government of India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry to make it easier for the various industries to get licenses. Making it possible for industries to secure automatic renewal of consent to establish is one of the Business Reforms Action Points (CTE). The following self-certification procedure shall be followed in order to apply for the renewal of Consent-

• The industrial unit must have obtained a CTE online. 
•  The location where the industry is situated must incur no change.
• In comparison to the previously acquired CTE, there shouldn't be any changes to the production process, raw material, or product quantities.
• According to the Government of India's Environment Clearance Notification, if the unit already had an EC for the output in question but it had already expired when it applied for a CTE via the Auto Renewal Scheme, it should also have the EC's time limit extended.
• According to the government directives published from time to time, the responsible person for the unit must submit the self-certificate and pay the necessary consent fees along with the renewal application.
• The unit must submit an online application for an automatic renewal of their CTE 60 days before their current CTE expires.
• The Red/Orange/Green status of previously acquired CTE should remain unchanged.
• The amount of water used or the amount of wastewater produced shouldn't change. Process for treating effluent and mechanism for discharging treated wastewater.
• The quantity and capacity of the boiler, furnace, or heater should not fluctuate, nor should the type or amount of fuel used.
• The sort of air pollutants that are emitted during a procedure shouldn't alter. The air pollution control measures shouldn't change.
• Self-certification must be provided stating that none of the environmental parameters at the project site have changed from the CTE previously acquired.
• Hazardous waste generation shouldn't alter, and it should continue to follow the most recent consent.
• This scheme is not relevant if the site's features have altered if it is in an Eco-Sensitive Zone, a heavily polluted area, etc.
• When renewing a prior CTE, if Environment Clearance had not applied to the unit, but it is at the time of renewal, the auto-renewal feature will not apply to the unit.
• CTE Renewal may only be granted once for a maximum of three years.
• Every six months, the Chairman will review the above plan to ensure appropriate implementation, and he will be the final decision-maker about any changes.