The Telangana Pollution Control Board (TPCB) on April 15, 2025, issued a circular regarding the harmonization of classification of industrial sectors under Red, Orange, Green, White & Blue Categories with reference to the CPCB directions vide CP-18/1/2023-IPC-VI-HO-CPCB-HO, dated February 12, 2025 at https://cpcb.nic.in/categorization-of-industrial-sectors/.
The CPCB issued the following directions for compliance by SPCBs and PCCs duly withdrawing the earlier directions dated March 07, 2016 on categorization of industries and subsequent directions/letter in the context of categorization of industries.
• That SPCBs and PCCs shall immediately adopt the revised methodology for classification of sectors and list of 419 sectors/sub-sectors classified under Red, Orange, Green, White, and Blue categories as detailed in the attached report- "Classification of Sectors into Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue Categories (A tool for progressive environmental management)".
• That all pending application for consideration of consent (CTE/CTO) and future such application shall be processed as per the revised classification. In case CTE granted before the revised classification, applicability of CTО will be as per revised classification.
• That the revised sectors/subsectors classified under Red, Orange, Green, White, and Blue category of sectors as given in the attached document shall be used by the SPCBs and PCCs for consent management, inventorization of units under different categories, siting criteria, deciding environmental surveillance frequency, calculation of environmental compensation, etc., as per the guidelines issued from time to time.
White Category industries are exempted to obtain CFE and CFO of the Board and shall follow the following SoP:
• Industry to intimate to concerned SPCB/PCC about operations and self declare the compliance with relevant rules & regulations,
• Concerned SPCB/PCC to maintain separate list of such industries/activities, and
• Concerned SPCB/PCC to ensure that no activities other than those intimated, are carried out by exempted units.
In view of the above, all the Regional Officers are directed to implement the CPCB directions with immediate effect. The Regional Officers are further directed to prepare the inventory of Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue categories of units operating in their jurisdictions, based on the revised classification of CPCB within one month so as to upload the category and sector-wise list on the Board web site and forward the same to CPCB. The ROs shall appraise the GMs, District Industries Centre, Industrial Associations and other stake holder departments about the reclassification of industries.
[Circular No. 94/TSPCB/Categorization/HO/2025]
