Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had filed its first Affidavit on 10-6-1997 through Dr.S.R. Chaudhari, the then Principal Scientific Officer, giving details of the steps taken for inventorisation of hazardous wastes as per initial Rules, 1989. A districtwise extensive survey was carried out and the units were given the authorizations with necessary terms & conditions. The Board officers had identified 3427 units as hazardous wastes generating/handling units in the State of Maharashtra. Out of 3427 units, 3013 units covered by grant of authorization by door to door surveys, 414 units served with the directions of closure under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had submitted time bound programme for carrying out a detailed survey about ensuring availability of required safe disposal sites, steps taken by the industries to ensure safe disposal of hazardous wastes in those disposal sites. Taking into consideration the urgency of identification of sites for safe & scientific disposal of hazardous waste in the State of Maharashtra as required under the Hazardous Wastes Rules, 1989, Govt.of Maharashtra has declared M.I.D.C. as an agency for identifying suitable sites vide G.R.No.ENV-1096/C.R.19/TC.2, dated 29-10-1996 and 12-3-1997. The waste disposal sites identified the individual units had been asked to treat and dispose off the hazardous waste within their premises.

Govt.of Maharashtra issued a notification in respect of site at Patalganga Industrial Area vide G.R. No.ENV-1095/C.R.12/TC.2, dated 19-09-1996, out of 7 sites selected for disposal of waste.

Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had prepared proposal for refurbishing, development of existing laboratories of the Board and to establish 6 Field Laboratories for effective monitoring and analysis of hazardous waste in the State. The Board has also purchased 7 Mobile Monitoring Vans to ensure effective monitoring of the compliance of authorizations. A perspective Action Plan prepared by the Board and submitted to the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt.of India.

NEERI had reported the figure of 8545 units under its Draft Report on Inventorisation of Hazardous Waste Generating Units in Maharashtra without giving any list. The said list was prepared on the basis of applications for consent and consent letters scrutinized by the NEERI and not on the basis of actual survey. The inventorisation was not done on the basis of scrutiny of each case. The figure was worked out tentatively on hypothetical basis. MPC Board, therefore, had to act on its own for preparing the inventory of hazardous waste generating units. The officers of the Board had collected the information by extensive field surveys from the staff of the Board after issuance of widely circulated public notices, communication from the Board offices and through Industrial Associations in the year, 1997. A districtwise statement of units generating hazardous waste in the State of Maharashtra was prepared at that time is reproduced hereunder :

The second Affidavit is filed by Dr.A. R. Supate, Sr.Scientific Officer & Incharge PSO on 11.9.2002 giving the details of inventorisation, illegal dump sites in the State of Maharashtra; treatment, storage & disposal facility at Taloja and TTC Navi Mumbai, Board infrastructure & difficulties in implementation of an Action Plan in view of change of categories of hazardous waste by subsequent amendments of 2000 and 2003 in the Rules. The information was also given in respect of defaulting industries, which have been prosecuted by the MPCB under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 read with Rules 11,12,13 & 15 of the Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989.

The third comprehensive Affidavit is filed by Dr.D.B. Boralkar, Member Secretary of the Board on 5.2.2004 in compliance of the various directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the Writ Petition (c) No.657 of 1995 dated 14.10.2003 giving details of illegal dumping sites outside MIDC areas with rehabilitation plan as well as dumping sites in nearby industrial areas, open spaces in the industrial area along the roadsides and open plots near industries etc. The Board has also given the details of the CHWTSDF and work on inventorisation of hazardous waste generating units as per 2003 amendment and various actions initiated by the Board. The details about clean technology for re-refyning / recyclying of used oil / waste oil and action taken by the Board or imposing cleaner technologies within stipulated time through an expert committee for verification of compliance was also submitted. The details about the compliance of the other directions were also submitted alongwith 1st Action Taken Report (as on 31.12.2003). The 1st Action Taken Report is reproduced hereunder. First ATR

The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has appointed monitoring committee under the Chairmanship of Dr.G. Tyagrajan to oversee the compliance of the directives issued by the Board, which monitors compliance of directives regularly. The Board has filed 4th Affidavit through Dr.D.B. Boralkar, Member Secretary of the Board alongwith 2nd Quarterly Action Taken Report on 9.5.2004, which is reproduced hereunder. Second ATR

The Board has also filed 3rd Quarterly Action Taken Report through the Affidavit of Dr.D.B. Boralkar, Member Secretary of the Board on 30.8.2004. The 3rd Quarterly Action Taken Report is reproduced hereunder. Third ATR

Till date the MPCB has submitted 9 Action Taken Reports upto 31/1/2006 before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India & 10th ATr upto 30/04/06 is prepared & has to be submitted before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India

The Board is rigorously following the directives issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and the 1st Action Taken Report has been accepted as a model Action Taken Report by the other State Pollution Control Boards.