House passes resolution against polluting industries

Raipur, July 30, 2010

The state Assembly on Friday passed a resolution to take stern action against polluting industries in the state. The resolution was moved by the BJP legislator Devji Bhai Patel who sought from the government to ban the industries creating pollution by dumping the sold waste in prohibited areas. Admitting that pollution was a serious issue, the Housing and Environment Minister Rajesh Munat assured the House that norm violating industries would not be spared.
The resolution was passed in the amended form as the minister asked Patel to replace the words “ban on polluting industries” with “stern action on polluting industries” which the latter accepted.
Earlier, moving the resolution, Patel pointed out that the state had witnessed rapid industrialisation in the recent past and several sponge iron units and power plants emerged in Raipur, Bilaspur, Raigarh and other districts. He informed the House that in the absence of any dumping policy, the industries recklessly dump solid waste in the prohibited areas, especially near residential areas of urban and rural pockets increasing air and water pollution. During rains, the dumped black dust flow to nearby farmlands and affect crop production, he said.
Patel demanded from the government to not only take action against the polluting industries but also to lodge FIR against them. He said the pollution can cause serious diseases like cancer and heart-related problems. “In my constituency Dharsiva, about 200 locals are suffering from cancer due to pollution. Similarly, there are more than 200 people who have become heart patient due to continuous dumping of solid waste near villages,” he said.
Ridiculing the government’s ‘Hariyar Chhattisgarh’ campaign, Patel said the state was fast becoming ‘Kariyar Chhattisgarh’ (black Chhattisgarh) due to pollution.
He also thanked the Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh for denying no objection certificate (NOC) for proposed 2400 MW power plant to be established in Tamnar at Raigarh district on environmental grounds.
Patel was supported by Congress MLAs Paresh Bagbahra, Pratima Chandrakar and Bhajan Singh Nirankari who demanded from the government to make common dumping policy pointing the problem of rising pollution in their respective constituencies.
Leader of the Opposition Ravindra Choubey challenged the government to take action against the giant industries that flout all environmental norms. He asked if the government was aware of rising pollution problem then why it signed pacts for establishment of 23 power plants in Janjgir-Champa to produce about 50,000 MW power. “These power plants would emit more than 4000 lakh tonnes of ash every year and would make the life of the locals miserable,” he said.
In his reply, the Housing and Environment Minister Rajesh Munat accepted that the department would have to tighten its noose on the polluting industries. He informed that 91 sponge iron units and 76 captive and other power plants had been established in the state in the past 20 years since 1990. The sponge iron units emit lumps of coals as solid waste while power plants emit fly ash.
The industries are responsible to dispose the solid and other wastes according to environment norms and they are being informed about this during establishment, Munat said. Besides, the department frequently inspects the industries to ensure that they were not dumping the solid waste in public places, but are disposing it properly, he said.
The department takes action against norm violating units and not only file suit against them, but also shut down their production and disconnect power connection, Munat informed.
According to notification of Union Environment and Forest Ministry, the formerly established coal-based thermal power plants should ensure to make proper use of fly ash within five years of issuance of notification. For new plants, the timeframe to use fly ash is four years from the commencement of production. Munat informed that the government had directed all the local bodies and construction agencies to mandatorily use fly ash and materials made of fly-ash in construction works.
According to environment protection laws, the Collectors, SDMs and officials of Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board are authorised to take punitive action against the units that do not make adequate disposal arrangement of solid waste, Munat said. The punishment could be 1-7 years of imprisonment and fine, he added.