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Excessive effluent treatment bills throw pharma MSMEs in MP into tizzy
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Laxmi Yadav, Mumbai
May 20 , 2022
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Excessive bills by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) for treatment of effluents have thrown pharma MSMEs in Madhya Pradesh into tizzy. The IMC has issued bills ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh to drug units for treating waste at its effluent treatment plant on Sanwer road.
Upset with this, a delegation of Madhya Pradesh Small Scale Drug Manufacturers’ Association (MPSDMA) and state unit of Laghu Udyog Bharati called on IMC commissioner Pratibha Pal and sought her intervention in resolving the issue. The delegation comprised MPSDMA president Himanshu Shah, general secretary Amit Chawla, treasurer Ratan Pandey and president of MP unit of Laghu Udyog Bharati Mahesh Gupta and president of Malwa region of Laghu Udyog Bharati Vinit Jain.
Said Amit Chawla, general secretary, MPSDMA, “IMC has sent us an excessive bill for treating effluent at ETP for the year 2021-22. Its incorrect utility bills. The municipal corporation has considered a drug plant’s licensed water utilisation capacity for finalising effluent treatment bills. Presently, we are using 35 per cent to 40 per cent of our licensed water utilization capacity. The corporation has considered our licensed water capacity instead of our actual water utilization while finalizing the effluent treatment bill. About 60 per cent of water is being used in drug manufacturing and rest is being used as potable water in our unit.”
There is no base for sending such high bills to industries for treating waste. The primary treatment of effluent is done at our plant and it is subsequently sent to IMC’s ETP by tankers or pipe for further treatment, added Chawla. “We have requested the IMC commissioner to look into the issue and send us a bill as per our water meter,” he added.
MSMEs are reeling under skyrocketing prices of raw materials and packing materials. Excessive effluent treatment bills have added to our woes, he stated.
MPSDMA appealed to the municipal corporation to rectify the anomaly in the current effluent treatment bill and send the correct bill to drug units.
Acting on MPSDMA’s request, IMC commissioner Pratibha Pal has instructed drugmakers to install a flow meter at the outlet pipe of their plants in order to calculate the exact amount of effluent generated from the plants.
Office of Executive Engineer, Sewage Treatment Plant, Municipal Corporation, Indore in a statement said “In case the flow meter is not installed, IMC will charge on the basis of consent provided by Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board.”
“Hence you are instructed to install a flow meter in 7 days and report at 04 MLD CETP Sanwer road, Indore, otherwise a bill will be generated on the basis of Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board consent,” it said.
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