Calcutta, Nov. 17: The Centre has extended till next March a little-known moratorium on setting up “potentially polluting” units in Haldia and Asansol, making it all the more difficult to attract investments in sectors closely identified with the two industrial towns. The sectors that fall under the ban include oil and gas exploration, refineries, petrochemicals, power, coal washeries, mining, steel, metals, cement, coke oven, asbestos, leather processing, chemical fertilisers, pesticide, distilleries, paint, pulp and paper, sugar, ports, airports, highways, industrial estates and biotech parks. The moratorium, now extended till March 2012, had been imposed by the Union environment and forest ministry when it was headed by Jairam Ramesh and the Left was in power in Bengal. The objective behind the ban was to compel “critically polluted areas” to come up with plans to address the problem. The moratorium on new polluting industries was initially put in place from end-2009 to August 2010 but with a rider that it would be lifted only if the states drew up remedial blueprints. In Bengal, Haldia, Asansol and Howrah figured on the list. Since industrialisation had become a dirty word in Bengal by the time the ban had kicked in, it did not draw much attention and few knew about it. However, the forgotten ban was dredged up recently when a big investor in Haldia tried to build a power plant that was approved earlier. The ban was cited but the company had its way as the curb does not have retrospective effect. When the Trinamul Congress-led government took over, it was hoping that the moratorium would be easily lifted with a friendly government at the Centre. However, the ban was extended on September 30. The Bengal government says it has taken adequate steps but industry feels the issue needs to be pursued with vigour in Delhi. Such a realisation appears to have dawned now on the Bengal government, which was initially banking on its letter-writing skills. Earlier this week, Bengal industries minister Partha Chatterjee met the Union environment secretary in Delhi and sought immediate removal of the hurdle. “I have told him that it should be lifted. The government is nearing completion of the action plan sought by the Centre. This moratorium is hurting Bengal’s prospects,” Chatterjee said. The Bengal environment minister and secretary had written letters to the Centre. “But the moratorium has actually been extended till next March,” environment secretary R.P.S. Kahlon said. State environment minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar said: “If required, the industries minister and I will jointly visit Delhi and try to get the moratorium lifted.” Bengal had submitted a plan in 2010 but the central ministry had rejected it. A new one was then sent, followed by an action-taken report. “Bengal had come up with an action plan and even started executing some of the features. About two months ago, we recommended to the ministry that the moratorium may be lifted from Haldia and Asansol,” said N.K. Gupta, a senior official of the central pollution control board in Delhi. Such a recommendation is only one step. The Union ministry will now evaluate other aspects. A ministry official said: “There has been a marginal improvement in Haldia but we feel there is room for more improvement.” Groundwater pollution and depletion were flagged as the critical concern in Haldia. The state government feels that a surface water scheme in Geokhali will address this problem. The list was prepared on the basis of a “comprehensive environmental pollution index” (CEPI) put together by the central ministry and IIT Delhi. The index was used as a tool to assess the condition of the air, groundwater and land in 88 industrial clusters in the country. Around 43 clusters with a CEPI score of 70 and above on a scale of 0 to 100 were declared “critically polluted”. Of the three sites in Bengal, Haldia was found to be the most polluting with a CEPI score of 75.43. Howrah came next (74.84), followed by Asansol (70.20). The ban has been lifted in close to 50 per cent of the originally earmarked clusters elsewhere on the ground that some work was done on the submitted plans. Top