Bangalore: G.S. Nadiger, Director (Laboratories), Textiles Committee, in the Union Textile Ministry on Thursday said that a large number of textile industries and units, particularly those in the processing sector across the country, have failed to meet many environmental laws and regulations. He was speaking at a two-day national seminar on international quality standards in textile and apparel industries and their implementation, organised by the Institution of Engineers (India), Shahi Group, Lakvinsar Projects and Infrastructure. The Principal Secretary (Commerce and Industry) Aravind S. Risbud inaugurated the seminar and released the souvenir. Dr. Nadiger said that despite stringent environmental laws and regulations, the compliance level by the textile industry has not been very satisfactory. The highly decentralised nature of Indian textile industry further complicated the enforcement of the legislation. Fragmented nature For example, he said the fragmented and small-scale nature of the industry could not support an individual effluent treatment plant (ETP) in every company. The solution to this was to have common ETPs for a cluster of industries, which would share the cost. Barring a few textile clusters, the concept of common ETP was yet to become popular in India. He said that the State Governments and the local authorities need to facilitate the eco-compliance by the textile companies by providing water, land for ETPs and dumping the sludge. The small-scale manufacturers of dyes and chemicals and processors should be sensitised and trained to comply with the laws, he added. The expert said that the Department of Forests and Environment should plug the loopholes in terms of enforcement of the laws and regulations. He said that the Union Government has prohibited the use of 112 azo-based commercial dyes releasing 22 harmful amines which should be implemented by the industry. B.L. Girija Shankar, Chairman of Lakvnisar Projects and Infrastructure said that the work on an eco-friendly textile park on a 50-acre plot at Chickkaballapur has begun. He said that the aim of the park was to use organic dyes in the manufacture of textiles to save the consumers. Former President of the Institute of Engineers B.N. Tyagaraja welcomed the gathering. S.M. Chatterjee, Chairman, Textile Engineering Division Board of the institute presided. B. Basavaraj, former Director, Department of Technical Education, D.V. Muniswamy, former Principal, S.K.S. Technological Institute, T.N. Sonwalkar, former Director of Central Silk Technological Research Institute and R.Venkatesh Babu, Chairman of Shahi Groups were felicitated.
