Big opportunity- need for a northern India EPA

There is no agency (govt or private) in North India for detecting and monitoring pollution control norms as per the best world standards (Indian standards remain only on paper due to lack of political will). Ground Water pollution is rampant in Ludhiana and other industrialised cities where unscrupulous industrialists dump toxic wastes in deep borewells with impunity contaminating age old water table many miles from the place of origin thus affecting citizens across the border also. Surface water contamination in all rivers, streams and water bodies can be observed by laymen even.

The Central Pollution Control Board, state pollution control boards, central groundwater board, Wapcos and other water agencies exist mainly to extract bribes and show their inadequacy to the courts in the form of endless paper reports. They are staffed with political appointees and been deliberately sabotaged by the political and bureaucratic executive. Men of calibre and mettle are not known but can be found even among the govt machinery but they tend to maintain a low profile.

Cancer and diseases of unknown origin due to toxic chemicals specially agrochemicals now are a grim reality in the states. Municipalities have run down and poorly maintained drinking water treatment and sewage treatment plants. Garbage disposal has become a deliberate problem. The legislatures have crushed their own laws by destroying the edifice of the law enforcement machinery and the judiciary.

Yet the human need for better governance remains intact and there is a market to be filled by the void created by the arrogance and debauchery of those in power.

Private labs are few and far between. Training colleges and institutions for environmental science such as the environmental science department of Punjab university are few and a few alumni from the chemistry and related departments are more prone to formulate new narcotic drugs which has a huge grip in this region. The narcotics control bureaus are politically controlled and offer miniscule opposition to this industry.