Pollution License

We deal in pollution licenses in various categories: white, green, yellow, orange, and red. The type of pollution license required depends upon the nature of the business.

Under the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), certain consents are required for industrial operations:

Consent to Establish (NOC):
All operating units and those commencing operations after receiving an NOC from the Board must obtain a "Consent to Establish." This is mandated by the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981.

Consent to Operate (CTO):
Similarly, all operating units and those starting operations after obtaining an NOC must acquire a "Consent to Operate" from the West Bengal Pollution Control Authority. CTOs must be renewed, with applications submitted 120 days before the expiration of the previous certificate. Renewal periods are as follows:

Green category: 7 years
Orange category: 5 years
Red category: 5 years
Industries are categorized by the WBPCB based on their pollution levels and risk. They are classified into Red, Orange, Green, White, and Exempted categories. Each category has specific criteria and limitations on location.

Red Category: Industries falling into the Red category include those with coal-fired boilers with a steam generating capacity over 5 TPH, or employing solid fuel-fired boilers (coal, wood, husk, etc.) regardless of capacity, and oil or gas-fueled boilers >5 TPH.
Orange Category: Industries using oil- or gas-fired boilers with a capacity of more than 2 TPH and less than 5 TPH but not listed in the Orange category list may be evaluated for the Orange category.
Green Category: Industries using oil- or gas-fired boilers with a capacity of less than 2 TPH but not included in the category lists may be evaluated for the Green category.
White Category: Industries in this category only require notification to the WBPCB; consent is not required.
Exempted Category: Industries in this category are exempt from applying for "Consent to Operate" as long as they have site permission from the local administration.
For any operations requiring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notice, Environmental Clearance is mandatory before obtaining "Consent to Establish" and "Consent to Operate." The Board's Environmental Management Information System (EMIS) provides detailed information to assist in selecting specific activities under each category.