National Green Tribunal (NGT): The Bench comprising of A.K. Goel Chairperson, S.P. Wangdi JM, and Nagin Nanda EM, reiterated its earlier order in regard to Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) being the competent authority to issue licenses and to ensure that no industry producing absolute alcohol functions without such license.”
In the present application, the issue is primarily in regard to enforcement of regulatory mechanism for handling absolute Alcohol or Ethanol. It has been stated that the distilleries which carry on the business of Ethanol production, they only require the approval of Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO). In an earlier order by the tribunal, it had shut down 5 industries in U.P for the same reason of non-attainment of license through PESO.
The tribunal in accordance of its earlier order dated 30-08-2018 gave clarity and stated that industries producing absolute Alcohol are required to comply with the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 along with obtaining license through PESO and till the time the industry doesn’t attain the said license it is prohibited to manufacture absolute Alcohol.[Social Action for Forest & Environment (SAFE) v. Union of India,2018 SCC OnLine NGT 275, order dated 24-07-2018]