Mill owners unhappy as Gujarat Pollution Control Board's vigilance department test samples at private lab

SURAT : Around 300 textile dyeing and printing mill owners in the city have opposed the move by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and its vigilance department for sending the air and water samples for laboratory testing at the private laboratory based in Ankleshwar, when the city already has three government recognized laboratories.
The decision for testing the air and water samples collected from the mills in Surat at the Ankleshwar-based private laboratory was taken few days ago by the GPCB and its vigilance department.
Until now, the samples taken from the dyeing and printing mills were tested at the government recognized laboratories at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Man-Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA) and the GPCB in the city.
"Is it reliable for the GPCB and its vigilance officer to believe the reports given by a private laboratory when they have three government recognized laboratories in Surat? We smell something fishy in this" said a dyeing and printing mill owner in Pandesara.
Another mill owner said, "There is a lobby who are trying to gain control over the dyeing and printing mills in Surat. This is one way to get hold of the mill owners".