The National Green Tribunal on July 17 directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure that States and Union Territories (UTs) ban the use of petcoke and furnace oil as fuels in industries and switch to cleaner alternatives. A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel after perusing a report filed by CPCB noted that some States and UTs were not complying with the orders.
The Supreme Court has banned the use of petroleum coke or petcoke — solid-carbon, coal-like material which results from oil refining — and furnace oil in the National Capital Region (NCR) and suggested that similar steps be taken in other States.
The green panel said that orders of the Tribunal be given effect and the CPCB ensure compliance by issuing such direction as may be necessary in exercise of its statutory powers.
It directed the CPCB to file an action taken report within four months and posted the matter for next hearing on January 15, 2021.
The Tribunal was hearing pleas filed by Sumit Kumar and Amarjeet Kumar seeking a ban on the use of all forms of petcoke as they emit fine particulate matter (PM), which is harmful to human health.
According to the plea, the objection to the use of petcoke and furnace oil, which has already been banned in certain States, is causing huge emission of sulphur dioxide and other pollutants.
Earlier, a report filed by CPCB said that use of petcoke and furnace oil can be allowed only in industries/ processes either as feed stock (calcined petcoke units, aluminum industries) or where they get absorbed along with product in manufacturing process (cement, lime kiln, calcium carbide industries).
