The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has issued a new circular revising and clarifying the process for refunding consent fees for projects that are discontinued by entrepreneurs and for units that have been re-categorised to White or exempted from consent requirements.
The circular amends the earlier guidelines issued on 11 October 2023 and aligns KSPCB’s processes with the CPCB’s harmonised classification of industries under Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue categories, as directed on 12 February 2025.
Refund Policy for Dropped Projects
KSPCB has specified different refund conditions depending on the stage and type of consent applied for:
1. Consent to Establish (CtE) / CtE – Renewal
| Status | Refund Policy |
| Application under process | Board will retain one year fee; balance refundable |
| Consent already issued | Fee for the remaining validity period will be refunded |
2. Consent to Operate (CtO)
(Applicable when the project is dropped before starting operations)
| Status | Refund Policy |
| Application under process | One year fee retained; rest refunded |
| Consent already issued | Fee for remaining term refunded |
3. Consent to Operate – Renewal
- No refund permitted.
These rules apply only when the entrepreneur authentically reports that the project has been voluntarily dropped.
Refunds for Units Re-Categorised to White / Exempted Category
For units re-classified as White (non-polluting) or exempted from the consent mandate, KSPCB will:
- Retain the greater of:
- One year fee, or
- Fee for the period between date of consent issue and its revocation
- Refund the remaining amount.
This applies in two scenarios:
- Applications submitted before 12.02.2025 where the consent is not yet issued.
- Applications submitted after 12.02.2025, regardless of whether consent has been issued or not.
Refunds Only After Consent Revocation
The circular clarifies that KSPCB will process refund requests strictly as per the new rules, and only after the consent issued (if any) is officially revoked.
The updated guidelines aim to streamline refund processing, enhance clarity, and ensure consistency with the national classification norms issued by the Central Pollution Control Board.