The Union Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF), Anil Madhav Dave, on Saturday announced the Centre's decision to lift the moratorium on expansion and new investments at industrial units in Ankleshwar, Panoli, Vapi and Vatva, which were put under critically polluted zones during the UPA regime.

The decision comes nearly six years after the MoEF had put these industrial clusters under critically polluted zones category and also a moratorium on further expansion or new projects in the region.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was present at the event.

"An entire area can’t be labelled as polluting area. There can be good fishes and bad fishes in the same pond. Same way, good industrialists should be rewarded and bad industrialists should be punished, but not the whole of industries should be punished," Dave told the gathering of industrialists from Ankleshwar Industries Association and Panoli Industries Association.

The decision to lift the moratorium on expansion of existing industrial projects and setting up of new industrial units in Ankleshwar and Panoli is seen as a booster for the region, which houses units from pharmaceutical companies, dyes and pigments makers, chemicals and processing players.

"This pro-active decision of the Central Government will lead to fast industrial development along with employment in this region," Rupani said.

As per the estimate, nearly Rs 22,000 crore worth of investments were stalled in these units, which had to face a ban on expansion or new projects due to high pollution in the region. The moratorium was ended in March 2012, but was further extended till next orders.

Industries through a partnership with the Gujarat Government has invested close to Rs 1,500 crore towards improvement of pollution levels by setting up Central Effluent Treatment Plants (CEPTs) and environmental management systems of individual units.

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