Indian firm Amara Raja Batteries has restarted the manufacturing of lead-acid batteries following the closure of two of its plants last month.
The company resumed operations at its Nunegundlapalli and Karkambadi plants on 8 May after the High Court of Andhra Pradesh granted an interim suspension of the orders passed by Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB), according to India newspaper The Financial Times.
Amara received closure orders for the company’s plants in Andhra Pradesh state on 30 April from APPCB.
The closure order was for allegedly violating the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, reported Indian newspaper The Hindu.
The Hindu reported “The company has been charged with polluting ambient air, which resulted in the presence of high levels of lead in the blood of its employees and people of surrounding villages, discharging untreated wastewater into drains and untreated sewage into stormwater drains and causing soil contamination”.
In a statement, Amara Raja said it had taken proactive measures to ensure its obligations to supply products and services were met without causing any inconvenience; it was assessing the impact of the short-term disruption.
The Financial Times quoted an Amara Raja statement that read: “Continuing with its focus on the best-in-class systems and processes for environmental, safety and health practices, the company will continue to engage closely with APPCB to resolve any potential issues.” Amara Raja Batteries noted:“We have taken proactive measures to ensure that all our obligations to supply products and services to our customers are met in a timely manner without causing any inconvenience, whatsoever.”
Amara did not reply to BEST‘s questions.
