
West Bengal Pollution Control Board issues closure notice and penalty to Starmilk Products after effluent tests show contamination 40 times over permissible limits.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has issued a conditional closure notice and financial penalty against Starmilk Products (P) Ltd, a dairy processing plant located in Jangalpara, Pursurah, Hooghly district. The regulatory action follows official environmental inspections that revealed untreated industrial dairy effluent was being discharged directly into adjacent drains and the Akambari Canal, bypassing effluent treatment infrastructure and contaminating surrounding waterways.
Laboratory analysis of effluent samples collected during board inspections confirmed severe environmental violations, with pollutant concentrations exceeding statutory limits by nearly 40 times. The unit recorded Total Suspended Solids (TSS) levels of 2,680 mg/L against the regulatory ceiling of 150 mg/L, while Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) reached 3,776 mg/L against the permitted limit, creating severe oxygen depletion risks for local aquatic ecosystems.
The state pollution control board imposed a pollution penalty of ₹3.5 lakh on the dairy manufacturer. While the technical committee concluded that the facility warranted an immediate shutdown, the WBPCB deferred the physical enforcement of the closure order until the end of August, citing the essential and perishable nature of milk supplies and providing the company a final operational window to achieve full compliance.
To avoid mandatory shutdown, the company—which operates with a raw milk processing capacity of 1,500 kilolitres per month—must demonstrate the effective operation of its newly installed 100-kilolitre-per-day Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and submit verified compliance testing showing discharge levels within prescribed legal thresholds.
The regulatory intervention was initiated following public complaints forwarded by environmental organisation Paribesh Academy of Chandannagar. Local community advocates and former environmental officials have noted that industrial dairy facilities must strictly enforce wastewater treatment protocols to prevent persistent pollution in agricultural drainage networks.
Source: The Telegraph India
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