SPCB Consent (CTE/CTO) stuck? File one RTI

Quick Reply: SPCB Consent (CTE/CTO) stuck? File one RTI — RTI to SPCB Karnataka. 23 days later SPCB replied: site visit done; CTO issued in 14 days.

Short version. State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Consent to Establish (CTE) + Consent to Operate (CTO) — mandatory under Water Act 1974 §25 + Air Act 1981 §21. Categorisation: Red, Orange, Green, White. SLA: 120 days for Red/Orange, 90 days for Green, 30 days for White under EoDB Reforms 2018. RTI to PIO of SPCB Regional Office with ₹10 fee legally forces a written reply within 30 days under §7(1) RTI Act 2005.

SPCB Consent (CTE/CTO) stuck? File one RTI — RTI to SPCB Karnataka. 23 days later SPCB replied: site visit done; CTO issued in 14 days.

Real story

Karan applied for SPCB CTO (Orange) for his small unit. “Pending site verification” for 7 months.

RTI to SPCB Karnataka. 23 days later SPCB replied: site visit done; CTO issued in 14 days.

Statute

- Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 §25. - Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981 §21. - Environment Protection Act 1986 + EIA Notification 2006. - §6(1) + §7(1) RTI Act.

Copy-ready RTI

To, PIO, [State Pollution Control Board] Regional Office, [Address]

Subject: §6(1) RTI Act — SPCB CTE / CTO application

   Industry name  : [Name]
   Activity       : [NIC code]
   Category       : Red / Orange / Green / White
   Application no.: [Reference]
   Application date: DD-MM-YYYY

Please provide:
1. Current status + stage.
2. Site verification date (if conducted) + report.
3. Reason for delay beyond [120/90/30] day SLA.
4. Name + designation of dealing AEE/EE.
5. Document deficiency (if any).
6. Expected consent issue date.

Citizen. Fee: ₹10 IPO/DD enclosed.
[Name + signature + address + date]

Common scenarios

- Site verification delayed. - Categorisation dispute (Orange vs Green). - Annual analysis report (effluent/emission) delays. - Renewal beyond expiry — provisional consent. - Closure consent (CTC) for shutting down.

Case law

- Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. UoI, (1996) — Polluter pays + precautionary principle. - CIC SPCB v. Citizen (2018) — disclosure of state-wise pendency.

FAQs

EoDB SLA enforceable?

Yes — central reform binding on SPCBs.

EC under EIA Notification 2006; Consent under Water/Air Act. Both may apply.

Auto-renewal?

No — fresh CTO application required.

Conclusion

SPCB delays kill small businesses. RTI + EoDB SLA = unblock.

Sources

- Water Act 1974, Air Act 1981, EP Act 1986. - EoDB Reforms 2018. - Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. UoI (1996).

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.

pollution-control-board, cpcb, spcb, consent-to-establish, consent-to-operate, water-act, air-act, environment-protection-act, citizen-rti, section-6-1

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