SC refuses to lift ban on use of petcoke and furnace oil

New Delhi, Nov 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to lift ban on use of petcoke and furnace oil in the industrial units of three states -- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana -- keeping in view the increasing level of pollution.

"Keeping in view the fact that pollution is increasing, we are not lifting the ban on use of petcoke and furnace oil in these industrial units in three states," a division bench of the apex court headed by Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, and also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta, said in its order. The apex court also refused to give any relief to the industrial units, NTPC and Hindalco. Earlier, many industrial units in these three states -- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana -- had knocked the doors of the apex court seeking certain modification of the top court's earlier order. But on Wednesday, to ensure that the pollution levels be kept under control to a certain extent, the apex court refused to modify its earlier order. The two-judge bench refused to give amy relief to the industrial units in these states. The petitioners presented their submissions and arguments before the apex court seeking certain modifications which the top court did not accept. UNI