Bhubaneswar, Dec. 21: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has asked bakery units here to obtain its "consent" to operate and also ensure that they do not discharge wastewater into drains and other water sources causing pollution.

Though the city has around 30 large bakery units, the board has so far ticked off 17 of them. They have been asked to obtain consent of the pollution control board to validate their operations.

Officials said according to the board's new guidelines, bakery units had been classified into two categories - orange and green. Units with production capacity of more than one tonne per day come under orange category, while those with a daily production capacity of less than one tonne are classified as green.

"In the initial stage, the units have been asked to apply for consent to operate by the end of this month. If they fail to comply, the units will be served with showcause notices. If the board is not satisfied with the explanation for not applying within the stipulated time, the units will be served closure notice," said the board's regional officer (Bhubaneswar) Hadibandhu Panigrahi.

The officials said that though most of these units had switched over to electrical burners from the traditional gas burners, they continued to discharge wastewater into nearby drains and water sources. "Almost all these units don't have facilities to treat wastewater, which contains high biological oxygen demand that gives a green look to it. The discharged water also causes a foul smell in the area," said an official.

The board officials said they would shortly inspect these units to take a look of facilities available to treat wastewater.

On the other hand, owners of these units assured the board of co-operation. They said that the units would comply with the new guidelines. "We have been operating the bakery for more than 20 years, but never required any certificate for 'operate to consent'. But after the new announcement, we have already submitted an application to the board," said Akshay Jena, manager of a bakery unit near Sriya Square.