By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: BJP National Secretary and Bargarh MP, Suresh Pujari, who is also Member , Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personal Public Grievances, Law and Justice, has a written a letter to Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy urging him to take necessary action against Vedanta Group and Bhushan Steel in Jharsuguda for dumping waste materials and ashes here and there through transportation.
While attaching a petition acknowledged from local resident of Jharsuguda area, Pujari wrote that the Vedanta and Bhushan Steel are jointly dumping waste materials and ashes here and there through transportation at Jharguda area resulting severe pollution and unhygienic conditions.
“In this context, it is requested to enquire the allegations thoroughly and a consolidated action be taken to put the law of the land into motion to ensure that the area becomes pollution free for safe society in the district of Jharsuguda. Action taken instant care may kindly be communicated to me,” MP Pujari wrote to Odisha Chief Secretary Tripathy, who is also Chairman of Odisha State Pollution Control Board.
After Rourkela, Jharsuguda had become the most promising destination for industries because of the region’s easy railway connectivity with the rest of the country, presence of abundant coal and adequate water from the Hirakud reservoir and availability of easy labour but pollution has crossed all its limits.
Sources in Jharsuguda , Vedanta and Bhushan Steel, have been regularly violating pollution control act of 1986, air pollution control act of 1981, water pollution control act of 1974 and forest rights act of 1980.
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.
“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 Vedanta and Bhushan Steel,” a local activist in Jharsuguda said.
Without wanting to be identified, a businessman associated with materials supply to the industries of Jharsuguda said to www.indianewsdiary.com that many steel and power industries including Vedanta and Bhushan Steel were collecting raw materials – such as iron ore and coal – illegally without paying taxes for a long time.
But the inflow of such illegally-obtained raw materials was checked all of a sudden with the state government acting tough on the violation and ensuring strict checking of ore-laden materials in the region. As the tax-evading illegal materials became scarce, it also impacted the profits of the factory owners.
