Rajya Sabha passes Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill 2024

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill which seeks to decriminalise minor offences related to water pollution, enable the Centre to prescribe service conditions of chairpersons of State Pollution Control Boards, and exempt certain categories of industrial plants from statutory restrictions.

Piloting the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill 2024, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that development and environment protection must go together.

There should be harmony in ease of living and ease of doing business, he added.

The Bill was approved by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote.

Replying to a debate of the Bill, the minister said its provisions will lead to greater transparency in dealing with various issues related to water pollution.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, the amendment proposes to rationalise criminal provisions and ensure that citizens, businesses and companies operate without fear of imprisonment for minor, technical or procedural defaults.

Also, the nature of penal consequence of an offence must be commensurate with the seriousness of offence, it added.

According to the Bill, the central government will be empowered to exempt certain categories of industrial plants from the application of section 25 relating to restriction on new outlets and new discharges.

According to the proposed law, the central government will prescribe the manner of nomination of chairpersons of State Pollution Control Boards. It also empowers the central government to issue guidelines on the matters relating to the grant, refusal or cancellation of consent by any state board for establishment of any industry, operation or process, or treatment and disposal system or bringing into use of new or altered outlets.

The Bill also seeks to decriminalise minor offences and replace it with monetary penalty in case of continuation of contravention.