31 pesticides, insecticide units registered in J&K

Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. S.S. Slathia in reply to question of Mr. Ajay Kumar Sadhotra informed the Upper House that 31 pesticide and insecticide units are registered in the State including 30 units in Jammu and one unit in Kashmir. Out of these, 28 units are functional including 27 units in Jammu and one in Kashmir.

He said the Government has imposed restriction on fresh provisional registration of technical manufacturing units and formulation units of Plant Protection Chemicals (Pesticides, Weedicides, Herbicides etc.) vide circular instructions dated 26.03.2008, on the grounds of viability of the existing units, saturation in particular industrial areas and increasing levels of pollution.

Slathia said that a conscious policy decision was taken not allow any more pesticide units to come in the districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, which had not taken effective steps before the cut-off date of 03-01-2007, as the incidence of such units was already very high in these areas.

However, in respect of the districts of the state, including Udhampur, where the number of such units was not high, formal registration would be allowed only to those units which had already taken effective steps for setting up their units and were ready for production. He said that M/s Insecticides (India) Ltd., Udhampur had taken effective steps before the issuance of the circular instructions, including provisional registration in 2006 after clearance by the Single Window Clearance Committee, he added.