MPCB to MMR bakeries: Switch to green fuel

As part of its plan to reduce air pollution, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued a notice to bakeries in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to discard their firewood and coal ovens and shift to LPG, PNG, electricity and other sources of green energy in the next six months.

- Surendra P Gangan

MUMBAI:

The MPCB notice has come after the Bombay high court took up the issue of MMR's alarming air pollution in a suo motu petition 18 months ago.

In January, the state government assured the court that it would make bakeries switch to non-polluting sources of energy by July. Municipal corporations have started serving notices to the establishments, while MPCB published general notices in newspapers on Saturday. MMR has over 15,000 bakeries, of which 1400-2000 are in Mumbai.

To process a mere 20 kg of flour into paavs (small square-shaped breads) requires the burning of 4-5 kg of wood, and MMR's bakeries produce 50 million paavs a day.