12,000 Factories Shut In Panipat As Industrialists Hold Protest March Over Pollution Rules, ₹200 Crore Business Hit

November 13, 2026

Panipat: Industrial activities came to a halt as industrialists protested against the pollution control norms and the actions of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Over 12,000 factories in the city remained shut and 1.35 lakh workers did not come to work.

The industrialists along with workers marched from Sanjay Chowk to Secretariat holding hands with banners. Hundreds of workers participated in the protest.

Traffic came to a halt on GT Road due to the protest march.

The industrialists clarified in a gathering that they are not opposing pollution controls measures but the way they are being implemented and issues faced by them technically.

They said that the one day strike would affect their business worth around Rs 200 crore. After submitting a memo with seven demands to the Deputy Commissioner, the industrialists reached the Secretariat.

Upon submission of the memo, the symbolic strike was called off.

Industrialists Protest Against Pollution Monitoring Norms

The industrialists said that they are worried about the pollution monitoring norms as the emission levels need to be kept below 50 milligrams per normal cubic metre. They have to install online monitoring systems and pollution control devices.

However, several units have already ordered these devices from authorised vendors and made advance payments but it has still not been installed within two to three months.

They said the devices are 30-40 per cent costlier than those available in the open market.

The industrialists said that they are facing problems in installing these devices and technical issues with the monitoring devices. They said that industries should not be penalised for any delays and technical issues faced with devices from authorised vendors.

36,000 Industrial Units And Thousands Of Jobs

There are around 36,000 large and small industrial units in Panipat providing employment to hundreds of thousands.

As per a report by the Union Ministry of Textiles, there are over 33,412 textile and garments units in the district providing jobs to over 1.5 lakh people.

The industrialists said that if they have to implement these pollution monitoring norms strictly then it will affect a large number of businesses.

The industrialists also said that if there is a problem in dyeing units then it can affect many linked industries like yarn, fabric, blankets, carpets, home furnishings.

Panipat Industrialists Lose Around Rs 200 Crore In One Day Strike

The industrialists said that their business turnover would suffer losses worth around Rs 200 crore.

Panipat has an estimated industrial turnover of Rs 60,000 to 65,000 crore annually and exports worth around Rs 18,000 to 20,000 crore.

Over 12,000 factories coming to a standstill reflected the issues faced by the industrial community.

Seven Demands Made To Deputy Commissioner

During the protest the industrialists submitted a memo with seven demands to the Deputy Commissioner. They mostly related to reducing the monitoring requirements and allowing more time for compliance.

The seven demands are:

1. Reducing OCEMS availability: The industrialists demanded that the current minimum data availability of 85% of data on the Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) server be reduced to 50%.

2. Increase average duration: The industrialists wanted to increase the average duration of data from the current seven days to 30.

3. No penalties for technical issues with vendors: Industries should not be penalised if there are any technical issues or delays with data transfer from authorised vendors.

4. Give time to install devices: If units have ordered pollution control devices then they should be given enough time to install them and should not be penalised.

5. Inspections should take place: The industrialists want onsite inspections to be carried out and industries should be given a chance to fix any issues before being told to shut down due to low data availability.

6. Make it easier to restart: It should be made easier for industrial units to be restarted.

7. Don’t make new devices mandatory for 5 years: The installation of new monitoring/pollution control devices should not be mandatory for the next five years.

This would help resolve the issues faced by factories.

After submitting the memo, the one day strike was called off. Now the industrialists are waiting for a reply from the administration.