Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has raised objections to the revised pollution classification norms issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), warning that the changes could move nearly 80 per cent of hotels and restaurants previously covered under the Green category into the White category.
The Board has called for a review of the guidelines issued on July 20, arguing that the proposed reclassification could weaken regulatory oversight of commercial establishments and reduce its income from consent-related fees, which form a major source of funding for its operations.
The matter was taken up at the GSPCB meeting on September 23. During the discussion, the Chairman explained that the revised CPCB norms use factors such as kitchen fuel, restaurant seating capacity and banquet hall area to determine the category of an establishment.
The Chairman also informed members that the Board had approached the CPCB Chairman on September 3, seeking a reconsideration of the changes.
The GSPCB has maintained that Goa’s tourism-dependent economy and environmentally sensitive coastal areas require a classification system that considers local conditions rather than relying exclusively on the size of individual businesses.
According to the Board, establishments with relatively high seating capacities can still generate considerable waste and sewage, particularly when several hotels, guest houses and restaurants operate in close proximity. It has stressed that the combined effects of sewage discharge, solid waste, noise and pressure on civic infrastructure must be considered while deciding pollution-control requirements.
The Board has also questioned the proposed relaxation for restaurants with up to 100 seats, contending that such establishments should not automatically be treated as low-impact units in a state with concentrated tourism activity.
As an alternative, the GSPCB has sought to retain the existing threshold for smaller restaurants. At its 165th meeting on June 9, 2026, the Board had approved placing restaurants with up to 20 seats and an area below 36 square metres in the White category.
Its proposal is to continue regulating restaurants with more than 20 and up to 100 seats under the Green category. Guest houses and standalone banquet or marriage halls would also continue under the Green category, according to the proposal discussed by the Board.
The GSPCB has additionally highlighted the importance of ensuring compliance with wastewater discharge standards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests notification dated November 4, 2009.
Financial implications have also figured in the Board’s objections. Since the revised classification could reduce the number of establishments paying Green-category fees, the GSPCB has proposed retaining the existing fee structure for affected businesses and increasing fees applicable to White-category industries. Members agreed that establishments should continue to be charged at the rates applicable under their earlier Green classification.
The meeting also discussed the lack of clarification regarding an earlier notification on sewage treatment plants (STPs). The requirement concerns establishments with seating capacity of 36 or more or an area of 100 square metres, as noted during the deliberations.
The Chairman warned that moving establishments into the White category could make inspections and compliance checks more difficult, especially when complaints arise or sewage treatment facilities need to be monitored.
Following the discussion, members unanimously approved a classification under which hotels with more than 20 rooms and restaurants with seating capacity above 36 would be placed in the Green category. Hotels with fewer than 20 rooms and restaurants with seating capacity below 36 would fall under the White category.
