Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, February 10 The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked state authorities to immediately stop the operation of units 6 and 8 of the Parli Thermal Power Station (PTPS) in the Beed district of Maharashtra, an official said.
The CPCB wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on February 5, he said.
According to the letter, a notice was issued in July 2015 to the state-run PTPS for the installation of Online Continuous Emission and Effluent Monitoring Systems.
In 2018, a CPCB team inspected the power station and observed non-compliance, including very high concentrations of PM emissions from units 6 & 8, and operation for a long time without valid consent from the MPCB, the letter stated.
In May of that year, the CPCB issued a closure direction. Subsequently, the PTPS was asked to submit compliance reports as the power station requested the central body to revoke the closure direction.
The compliance report was submitted in May 2025.
However, during an inspection held in May 2025, units 6, 7, and 8 were found to be operational despite the CPCB's closure directions. The Consent to Operate for these units had expired in December 2024.
The PM emission concentrations from units 6, 7, and 8 were 87 mg/Nm3, 85 mg/Nm3, and 91 mg/Nm3, respectively, exceeding the prescribed limit of 50 mg/Nm3.
The inspection team also found constant leakage from the raw effluent pump house, which flowed into a nearby drain. Untreated sewage and ash were also directly disposed of in the nearby natural drain, the CPCB letter stated.
The PTPS had not conducted the annual mandatory third-party safety audits of its ash dykes since 2019. The ash dyke areas were accessible to illegal excavators, which could lead to serious environmental hazards, the letter said, adding that there was also mismanagement in the storage and management of used waste oil.
Furthermore, no dust suppression system was provided to suppress dust at the coal storage yards, the letter said.
The MPCB should take immediate necessary action to ensure compliance with the earlier directions, including the immediate closure of the operation of units 6 and 8, the letter stated.
Officials at the power station denied that they had received any such letter.
"Once we receive it, we will respond," said a senior official.
