TNPCB asks Aurobindo to close Cuddalore unit for illegal production of intermediate 7-AVNA

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued closure notice to the Aurobindo Pharma for closing its Cuddalore plant at Tamil Nadu for violation of conditions prescribed in the consent given to the Cuddalore plant. Since then, the company has closed all its activities in the plant. The TNPCB has given the company to produce the drug intermediate, 6-APA, in March 2008. But it has started producing another chemical product 7-AVNA, said S Asokan, district environment engineer (DEE), Cuddalore. He said his office has issued show cause notice to the company 15 days ago, and the chairman of TNPCB has given the closure notice on June 4.According to him, the Board has got complaints from the public that the Unit was producing a chemical product 7-AVNA. Following it, the DEE has carried out an inspection in the unit. Sources from the Board told Pharmabiz that there was clear proof that the unit has produced the chemical product in the plant. In the DEE's inspection, it was found that the unit had transported consignments of 7-AVNA on several occasions in the month of March and April this year, to other places.When the general manager of the unit at Cuddalore, S Govindan, was contacted by Pharmabiz, he said the company got permission from the Pollution Control Board to manufacture the intermediate 6-APA in March 2008. Later in the month of December the company has submitted application to the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee for change of product. "There was no market for 6-APA product, so we wanted to produce 7-AVNA. Both are intermediaries. So we started only a trial run and closed even before the inspection held. After all, there was some problem with the plant and we closed the unit one month ago. Now power shortage is also there," Govindan said.After issuing the closure notice, the Board has ordered the state electricity board to disconnect the power supply to the unit.The joint chief environmental engineer at the TNPCB, Jayakumar TC Ethiraj, said the pharma company cannot do trial run production without prior consent from the Board. There was clear evidence that the company has produced the chemical product 7-AVNA, illegally.