Tirupati-headquartered Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) to close down its plants situated at Karakambadi and Nunegundlapalli in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. This was after the company received closure orders from the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) on April 30, 2021.
The company supplies batteries to customers in segments like defence, hospitals and telecom.
“We shall continue to make our efforts to engage with APPCB authorities in the interest of avoiding a dislocation in supplies to some of our largest clients in sensitive sectors. At a time of a national emergency in the form of the Covid pandemic, such a dislocation could be calamitous,” a Company spokesperson said.
The company added that all their manufacturing plants have undergone various annual/bi-annual environmental audits and certifications over many years and have received several awards for safety and environmental sustainability and have adhered to the highest norms of Environment, health, safety. “Our choices have always been guided by a commitment to society that are socially and environmentally responsible,” a spokesperson added.
In addition, the company is taking all necessary steps to comply with the orders given by APPCB. It stated to have activated its contingency plans to avoid dislocation in supplies of batteries to its customers.
The Company had earlier made representations to the State Pollution Control Board officials on various environmental control measures that are deployed in line with industry standards, regulatory requirements and the improvement actions being initiated.
The Company supplies automotive batteries to Ashok Leyland, Ford India, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Tata Motors. The Company’s Industrial and Automotive Batteries are exported to countries in the Indian Ocean Rim.
