Jajpur: The eastern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to conduct a probe into the illegal railway siding on Mesco Steel plant premises at Kalinganagar in this district and impose penalty on the firm for aggravating pollution in the area, a report said.
A bench comprising judicial member B Amit Sthalekar and expert member Saibal Dasgupta passed the order February 3. The matter came up for hearing at the apex green body after Pratap Jena, a local resident, filed a petition alleging that the railway siding on Mesco Steel premises is operating without consent.
The petitioner alleged that the railway siding is operating even after the expiry of consent to operate period fixed by the SPCB. The NGT admitted the petition and registered a case 52/2021/EZ for hearing.
Hearing the petition, the bench directed the SPCB to conduct a probe into the operation of railway siding and stop all activities in it.
Moreover, the bench also directed the SPCB to take punitive action against Mesco Steel and fix penalty on it for environmental degradation. The regional officer of SPCB, Kalinganagar was also directed to submit the action-taken report in the next date of hearing scheduled for March 15.
Earlier, the green body heard the matter July 7, 2021 and directed the SPCB to issue notices to Mesco and JSW firms within four weeks. The state government, Jajpur Collector, SPCB, Kalinganagar ADM, managing directors of Mesco Steel, JSW and Paradip Transport Pvt Ltd are respondents in the case.
The petitioner approached the green body after the SPCB failed to act against the Mesco railway siding for severe pollution.
According to the complaint, the Mesco Steel plant has remained shut since January 2020. However, the railway siding has been in operation without having environmental clearance or consent to operate from SPCB.
The railway siding was in operation in second and third week of June but the SPCB kept mum despite being aware about it. The JSW even took the railway siding on lease for unloading fly ash, slag, clinker, coal, gypsum in May 2021 in the presence of Kalinganagar ADM which is illegal without environmental clearance.
The railway siding transporting such toxic material comes under red category for which consent to operate is required from SPCB.
The SPCB granted conditional permission to run the railway siding for a period of six months.
The SPCB, while granting permission, had asked the siding authorities to sprinkle water and establish effluent treatment plant to combat pollution. However, the authorities continue to operate the railway siding in violation of the SPCB order.
When contacted, SPCB regional officer Pramod Kumar Behera said, “Investigation will be conducted on the order of NGT and action will be taken accordingly.”
