By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/JHARSUGUDA: The Navneet Agarwal owned Action Ipat&Power Pvt Ltd, Footwear-to-Steel Conglomerate, which has plants in Odisha’s Jharsuguda and Chhttisgarh’s Raipur Industrial area, has been under scanner after several activists were on Friday demanded a CBI probe into the state of affairs of the Company in Odisha.
“The Company’s plant in Jharsuguda, which is more than 2.5 MT per annum production capacity has been creating a lot of air and water pollution in Jharsuguda-Sambalpur Industrial belt. The Company has also violated many laws of Forest and Environment and Wildlife Protection Acts,” said Sushant Mohapatra , an activist in Bhubaneswar.
He also demanded a CBI probe and cancellation of lease of captive iron ore mines given by the Odisha government. Locals in Jharsuguda alleged that using illegal means and ways, the Action group is one of domestic business conglomerates that commenced its operations in footwear and later diversified into steel, chemicals, computer monitors, housing projects, health care and retails segments among others. Rampant illegal transportation by the Company from Coal India owned Mines. Its Power Plants are also creating lot of pollution. “A CBI raid in Jharsuguda, New Delhi and Raaipur will expose all Company’s illegal network,” he added.
The studied silence of Naveen Patnaik led BJD Government in Odisha over illegal mining activities in Keonjhar-Sundargarh region and air-water pollution in Jharsuguda-Sambalpur region by Action Ipat&Power Pvt Ltd has raised many eyebrows, said a local activist in Jharsuguda.
“Due to deforestation in various hills, 80 per cent of streams have gone dry. The water flow in Deogarha’s Padhanpata, Sundargarh’s Khandadhar and Keonjhar’s Sanaghagara and Badaghagara waterfalls has decreased by 50 per cent in last 10 years,” .“ The Government had earlier admitted that the water-flow in the Padhanpata waterfall at Deogarh had decreased drastically due to destruction of forests. But on the contrary, it showing favour to Action Ipat&Power Pvt Ltd mines,” a local activist in Joda-Barbil in Keonjhar said.
Locals in Jharsuguda areas however expressed concerns over the dwindling of the wild animals and the increasing man-animal conflict in human habitations due to water and fodder scarcity in jungles and hills. “The residents of Joda-Barbil will suffer acute water scarcity in near future due to illegal mining work of Action Ipat&Power Pvt Ltd,”
The leases have been either granted or extended to the firms for mining iron ores without either any fresh evaluation or adopting the auction process. We sought directions for recovery of market value of the mined minerals in accordance with the law.
This apart, company played a key role in Odisha mining scam and violated Mines and Minerals Act, Mines and Minerals Regulation Act of 1957’s section 21. The company involved in illegal mining, theft and transportation. The company has violated pollution control act of 1986, air pollution control act of 1981, water pollution control act of 1974 and forest rights act of 1980.
Companies were supposed to extract mining with clearance of air and water pollution control under various acts like Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and consent to operate under the Water (PCP) Act, 1974 and Air (PCP) Act, 1981.
The firm has been violating forest and wildlife laws .The Company, which is also creating air and water pollution while defying orders of Odisha State Pollution Control Board and Union Forest and Environment Ministry. Action should have taken against the company under Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Odisha Forest Act-1972 and Mines and Minerals Act.
Company which operating without valid consent to operate should have been issued closure directions or will be prosecuted as per the provisions in Water (PCP) Act, 1974 and Air(PCP) Act, 1981.While granting “consent to operate”, it will be ensured that the proponent has obtained all other statutory clearances under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.The Company has no respect to labour laws, they said.
Meanwhile, several wildlife and social activists have sought a court-monitored probe into the extension of lease and allotment of the mineral mines for free of cost alleging that it had caused huge financial loss to the public via a concocted conspiracy.
“Within the principle upheld by the Supreme Court in its previous judgement, no natural assets can be allotted/extended free of cost. Impugned extension is contra to the law of the country. No where in the Act, it says to extend the lease free of cost. At least value of extension must be decided as per the maximum rate of auction value by the state or by another state government during these period,” they said.
94 of the 192 iron ore mining leases in Odisha do not have the mandatory environmental clearances. And of the 96 that have them, 75 have mined far beyond their permitted levels over the past several years, says the Justice M.B. Shah Commission report.
The report says 56 mining leases operated close to identified wildlife areas without adequate protection to the animals. The mandatory forest clearances had not been obtained in several cases. Waterbodies in and around 55 mines have been polluted. Water has depleted in natural streams in some cases and forestland impacted adversely in several others. A mining-project within a 10-kilometre vicinity of a protected wildlife area requires mandatory clearance from the National Board of Wildlife, which too was not obtained in several cases.
