HC stay on PCB’s closure notice to poultry waste rendering unit in Thamarassery

The Kerala High Court has granted an interim stay on the closure notice issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) to Freshcut Organic Products, a poultry waste rendering unit located in Thamarassery. The PCB had ordered the closure of the unit after receiving complaints that it was draining waste into an adjacent residential area.

During the hearing, a Bench of Justice C. Jayachandran acknowledged a report from the panchayat secretary stating that there was no evidence of waste being drained from the petitioner's unit to the outside. Freshcut Organic Products argued that no notice had been issued prior to the closure order. The court found merit in the firm's arguments, noting that the closure order did not specify any reason for the closure other than an unsubstantiated allegation that the petitioner was enabling the flow of waste to the residential area.

There was no mention of any inspection by the PCB, and no show-cause notice was issued before the closure order. The court directed the environmental engineer to inspect the unit promptly to determine if any waste was indeed being drained to the residential area. Additionally, the District Level Facilitation and Monitoring Committee was instructed to appoint a competent officer to accompany the PCB engineer during the inspection, with a report to be filed by August 13.