The National Green Tribunal is currently examining a significant environmental case involving Malbros International Private Limited's fuel-ethanol production facility in Bathinda. The controversy centers around whether the company obtained proper environmental clearance for its operations, with the Public Action Committee raising serious concerns about procedural violations and groundwater contamination.
Environmental Clearance Timeline Dispute
The core of the legal battle revolves around the timing of environmental approvals. Malbros International submitted to the NGT that it received environmental clearance for fuel-ethanol production on January 15, 2018. However, the pro-environment organization Public Action Committee has challenged this claim, pointing out a crucial chronological discrepancy.
PAC emphasized that the National Biofuels Policy was officially notified on June 4, 2018, nearly five months after Malbros claims to have received clearance. The organization argues that an environmental clearance issued before June 4, 2018, cannot legally authorize a product that wasn't legally permissible at that time.
Technical Deficiencies in Clearance Document
According to PAC's detailed submission before the NGT, the January 2018 environmental clearance document shows significant technical omissions. The clearance contains no appraisal of fuel-ethanol technology and makes no mention of critical components including anhydrous ethanol, molecular-sieve dehydration, volatile organic compounds emissions, denaturants, or fuel-blending processes.
The environmental group stated that the original clearance was for a distillery operation and cannot be extended to cover an unappraised and potentially more polluting refinery process. This fundamental technical gap forms a key part of their legal challenge against the company's current operations.
Admission of Production Without Clearance
In a crucial development, Malbros International admitted in its November 7, 2025 reply that it was producing 99.9% anhydrous fuel ethanol without seeking any amendment or modification to its existing environmental clearance. PAC contends that this admission confirms that fuel-ethanol production began without the mandatory prior environmental clearance required under the EIA Notification of 2006.
The matter was heard in the NGT on November 24, with the order being uploaded on November 26. The tribunal has adjourned the case to January 6, 2026 for further proceedings. Meanwhile, Malbros has requested permission to continue ethanol production while expressing readiness to dismantle the distillery portion of its operations.
Groundwater Contamination Evidence
PAC presented compelling evidence of environmental damage at the Bathinda site. The Central Pollution Control Board has recorded contamination at the location, and under the Environment (Protection) Rules of 2025, industrial activity is prohibited on contaminated sites until detailed investigation and full remediation are completed.
The environmental organization specifically highlighted that CPCB samples numbered 26 and 27, collected in February 2023 and found contaminated, were taken from inside or immediately adjoining the fuel-ethanol unit rather than from the old distillery. This evidence directly links groundwater contamination to the fuel-ethanol operations that commenced in 2022.
Satellite Imagery Reveals Additional Concerns
Further strengthening their case, PAC presented satellite imagery showing significant land use changes near the plant. The imagery reveals that a 10-acre area adjacent to the plant remained undisturbed until March 2021 but was excavated and filled with ash by April 2022, during the operational period of the fuel-ethanol unit.
The timing and location of this dumping activity correspond closely with the functioning of the new unit, raising additional environmental concerns about the company's waste management practices. The case continues to develop as both parties prepare for the crucial January 2026 hearing that could determine the future of ethanol production at the Bathinda facility.
