Officials of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) have served a three-day notice to Parwanoo-based Pronto Industries for causing air pollution in the area. Reacting to a news item published in these columns, where the plight of residents of nearby villagers, including Dhagger, Taksal and Dangiar, who had been facing the brunt of air pollution, the officials of the SPCB issued a notice to the unit. Confirming this, Deepak Aggarwal, executive engineer of the Board, said since the unit had been served notices time and again to ensure that smoke was not let-out in the early morning and evenings when people went for walks, a short-time notice had now been served to the unit directing them to furnish their reply following which the case for disconnection of their power connection would be recommended to the head office in Shimla. It was worth mentioning that the residents were fed up with the heavy air pollution where plumes of smoke emanating from the unit was not only enveloping the nearby area, but also creating health problems to asthma patients and elderly people. Though, the unit was located near the office of the SPCB in sector 4, its pollution had remained unchecked and had become a cause of constant concern to the residents. It, however, remains to be seen what action the board would take to ensure compliance of its directions as earlier efforts to check pollution had remained unproductive. The unit was located on a lower elevation while the villages were located at a higher gradient, thus creating a situation where the residents continued to suffer.