Kullu: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to Kinvan Pvt Ltd, the country’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing unit at Plasra in the Nalagarh area of Solan district, on a petition alleging multiple environmental violations.During a recent hearing on the petition, NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava observed that the application raised a “substantial issue relating to compliance with environmental norms” and directed the issuance of notice to the respondents.The application has been filed by Dharminder Singh and other residents who claim to have been affected by the alleged violations.According to the petition, the pharmaceutical company obtained environmental clearance after submitting a fabricated Form-II application by declaring that the unit would not generate any effluents and by denying the existence of a nearby water body, despite Chikni Khad, a tributary of the Sarsa river, flowing adjacent to the project site.The applicants further stated that although the unit was approved as a ‘Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)’ facility, it had been illegally discharging effluents and chemical waste into Chikni Khad, causing environmental damage.The petition also accused the company of dumping toxic wastewater in the surrounding area, operating six borewells despite permission for only one and illegally extracting groundwater.Referring to an incident of mass fish mortality on May 4, the petition claimed that heavy earth-moving machinery was used to dump large quantities of soil over the contaminated waters of Chikni Khad.During the hearing, the counsel for the applicants submitted that the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) had issued a clean chit to Kinvan Pvt Ltd on Oct 16, 2025. However, the company was subsequently served a show-cause notice regarding alleged violations. According to the applicants, no final order has been passed regarding the notice.The applicants also placed additional documents on record, including news reports and material relating to the alleged violations and resident protests. Photographs were also submitted in support of their claim regarding the alleged impact on aquatic life.NGT proceedings come against the backdrop of protests by Nalagarh residents on March 23. The residents alleged that foul odour and emissions from the pharmaceutical unit affected six panchayats and nearby municipal wards.Residents have also held the plant responsible for contaminating Chikni Khad, which supports several drinking water schemes, and raised concerns over groundwater depletion. The protesters had demanded suspension of manufacturing activities at the facility pending corrective measures.The HPSPCB had issued a show-cause notice to the company over odour and water-related issues. The pollution control board also constituted a committee to inspect the facility and imposed environmental compensation of about Rs 21 lakh.Spread over nearly 63 acres and built at an estimated cost of around Rs 860 crore, the API facility has been established to reduce India’s dependence on imported bulk drug ingredients. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the facility in Oct 2024.The NGT has fixed Oct 12 as the next hearing date.
