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Closure notices to 9 sponge iron units

Bhubaneswar: Taking a serious view of non-compliance of pollution norms by companies, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has served closure notices on as many as nine sponge iron plants operating in tribal-dominated Sundargarh district.

Closure notices were issued after the SPCB’s surveillance team observed gross negligence on the part of the companies to check air and water pollution in their respective areas.

Complaints on pollutions caused by the sponge iron units were made before the appellate authority headed by High Court Judge B. P. Das at the SPCB by former legislator Shankar Oram.

The sponge iron units, which were directed to close down their different units are Vikram Private Limited, Jagannath Sponge, Reliable Sponge, Monika Holding, Thakur Prasad Sao, Thakur Prasad Sao and Sons, Bhaskar Steel and Ferro Alloys Limited, Swastik Ispat and BR Sponge.

Almost all the sponge iron units had not put preventive measures in place to arrest fugitive emission from working area at coal injection sites and iron ore crushers and screening plants despite clear direction from the Chairman of the SPCB.

According to closure notices, sponge iron units were not properly handling the electrostatic precipitators (ESP), which resulted in heavy emissions of dust.

Eight out of nine sponge iron units facing closures were found to have violated provisions of the Water (PCP) Act 1974 and the AIR (PCP) Act 1981.

The SPCB observed that lapses and non-compliances of norms could cause significant impact on the environment and might lead to further deterioration of air quality and surrounding areas, if not controlled immediately.

“This has vindicated the cause of tribal people of the State who are bearing the brunt of environmental pollution. Now the SPCB, before evoking the consent, needs to monitor the activities of the polluting units thoroughly and should not mechanically evoke the closure order. It should impose strict conditions on them,” said Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, counsel for Mr. Oram.

Sponge iron units are major sources of pollution in Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts.

Villagers living in the adjacent to sponge iron units have been frequently complaining of pollution caused by these units.

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