305 Telangana firms closed between Jan 2024 and Oct 2025 for violating pollution norms: TGPCB

Hyderabad: As many as 305 companies in Telangana have been closed or stopped production from January 2024 to October 2025. This is due to the units not adhering to pollution control norms, stated Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB).

Enforcement and compliance actions

The TGPCB conducted reviews of pollutants for 2,069 industries and issued compliance notices to 1,234. Officials noted, however, that 697 industries were later issued closure revocation orders after confirming they had returned to compliance with PCB regulations.

The state currently hosts 12,264 industries categorised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) into Red, Orange, Green and White based on their pollution severity. Special focus is being placed on continuous monitoring, issuing notices and levying penalties to control pollution effectively.

New industry permissions and monitoring

Despite the stringent enforcement, the TGPCB has continued to facilitate new business, granting Permission for Establishment (PFE) to 2,620 new companies from January 2024 to October 2025.

PFE is crucial for preventing water and air pollution by ensuring that future industry effluents comply with environmental standards. Additionally, the board issued Consent for Operations (CFO) to 3,521 companies, based on an assessment of their potential pollutants and impact before they commence full operations.

The PCB has identified a total of 2,193 water-polluting industries and 3,164 air-polluting industries in Telangana.

Regular monitoring by officials has been rigorous:

- 7,966 sewage/hazardous waste samples were collected.

- 3,807 air pollutant samples were collected from industries.

Action is anticipated against respective companies once laboratory reports on these samples are received, explained sources.

24/7 online tracking and task force

To identify and curb emissions from high-risk sectors, the TGPCB has established a 24/7 online monitoring cell. Emissions and pollutants from 501 highly polluting industries are being tracked in real-time.

The Task Force Committee reviewed 108 industries for exceeding emission and pollutant standards, issuing immediate orders for control measures and warning of legal action for non-compliance. Furthermore, under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) framework, a ‘tool’ for the computerised, random allocation of inspections has been implemented.

The Task Force inspected 1,664 industries and reviewed 324 between January 2024 and October 2025, taking appropriate action.

Waste management and complaint resolution

The TGPCB is tackling major water pollution, particularly from bulk drug and chemical industries, by strictly implementing Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems and promoting the reuse of treated wastewater.

Safe waste management infrastructure includes:

- 5 Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs)

- 26 E-Waste Recycling Plants

- 4 Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Facilities

- 12 Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Plants

How can the public complain about pollution?

For quick resolution of citizen complaints, the board maintains a toll-free number 10741 and an online complaint app, ‘Janavani–Kaluṣya Nivāriṇi’ (Public Voice – Pollution Reducer).

Night patrolling

Night patrolling is important as there are certain industries which release pollution in the air at night. They also dump effluents in the water at night. Due to these reasons, a night patrol is important to catch those who are using this time to dump their waste, explained the officials of the pollution control board.