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GPL promises steps to minimise pollution

BERHAMPUR: The authorities of the Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL) promised to take all possible modern measures to check pollution in the port and adjoining areas at a public hearing held at Arjipalli on Tuesday.

This public hearing was organised by the State Pollution Control board to discuss with the local people before granting clearance to the GPL. This public hearing was attended by the representatives of 10 villages near the port area, Sub-Collector, Ajit Mishra, director of State Pollution Control board S.K.Prusty and M.M.Moharana one of the directors of the GPL.

The participants described their fears of pollution during the continuing construction work of the port and during its operation. Mr. Moharana described the measures being taken up by the GPL to check threats of air, water and sound pollution.

He said audiometers would be installed at different areas of the port and the data regarding the sound in the area would be collected every eight hours to find out threats of sound pollution as early as possible. It would enable early remedial measures to check sound pollution caused by machineries. He also added that to decrease dust pollution of the air during transportation all roads in the port premises would be sprinkled with water at regular intervals. Apart from it the trucks carrying construction materials would be covered up with polythene sheets.

The seasonal anchorage port at Gopalpur had come up in 1987. It was being managed by the State government till it was taken over by the GPL three years back for its development into an all weather port. The GPL plans to invest more than Rs. 1,700 crore in this project.

The GPL is a consortium of Orissa Stevedores Ltd. (OSL), Noble Group Ltd. of Hong Kong and Sara International Ltd., which entered into an MOU with the State government to take over the Gopalpur port to develop it into a major all weather port on Build-Operate-Own-Share-Transfer (BOOST) basis.

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