Business · India Bureau
Sun Pharma failed to implement expansion despite environmental nod: TNPCB
Tamil Nadu's pollution board told the National Green Tribunal that Sun Pharmaceutical had not secured mandatory operational consent for its Chengalpattu expansion despite obtaining central environmental clearance.
LSN India ·
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited had not implemented a proposed production expansion at its Chengalpattu facility, despite securing environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
According to the board's submission, while the pharmaceutical company obtained the necessary environmental clearance from the Centre to increase production capacity, it failed to secure the TNPCB's 'consent to operate' for the expansion project. The consent to operate is a mandatory prerequisite under state environmental regulations before an industrial facility can commence operations at expanded capacity.
The discrepancy highlights a gap in the company's compliance procedures, where it had progressed through central-level clearance but had not completed the statutory requirements at the state level before proceeding with the expansion. The NGT, which adjudicates environmental disputes and violations, is reviewing the matter.
Sun Pharma operates a significant manufacturing facility in the Chengalpattu region, an industrial area in Kancheepuram district south of Chennai. The case underscores the importance of obtaining all requisite clearances from both central and state authorities before commencing industrial expansions in India.