New Delhi Competition Appellate Tribunal today served notices to the Competition Commission and the Builders Association of India, on whose complaint the fair trade regulator had imposed a penalty of Rs 6,307 crore on 11 cement firms on charges of cartelisation.

Hearing an appeal by cement companies, including UltraTech and ACC, the tribunal also asked the CCI not to take any coercive action in the matter till October 11, when the COMPAT would next hear the case.

Treatment of waste water like industrial effluents and sewage is a major problem being faced by corporate sector in India. Of the late, due to major policy shift in industrial licensing policy, corporate sector have now started treatment of industrial waste before releasing the same in rivers.

In a perfect market economy, where all externalities are internalised by the companies and paid for by the consumers, a market leader will also be an environment leader. The ground reality is, however, different. Take the example of Grasim Industries Ltd, which became the biggest cement company in the country after acquiring the cement division of Larsen and Toubro in 2003-04.