Jajpur: A special team from the regional office of State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has already completed the investigation into the pollution caused by Ramco Cement in Dharmasala area of Jajpur district and submitted the report, but no action has been taken against the errant industry, locals alleged.
They also alleged that the report has been hushed up under pressure.
Reports said scores of industries have come up in Kalinganagar and Dharmasala areas. The industrialisation is being pushed by the government to create job opportunities for local youths, but the performance of the industrial units on this count has been dismal. Rather most of them are polluting air and water.
While the state government insists on pollution control and protection of greenery, some administrative officials and the pollution watchdog wing have turned a blind eye to the pollution caused by Ramco cement plant near Haridaspur under Dharmasala tehsil. Air pollution in the area has been acute while people of 10 peripheral villages have been affected by it. Many locals have expressed their concern over growing pollution levels and said days are not far when pollution will be unbearable in the area.
They alleged that the sub-divisional magistrate has been apprised of the issue, but he is yet to take action against the industry.
Some residents– Bipin Bihari Sethi and Srikant Prusty of Sribantpur, Tuna Barik of Guaranga, Raju Mallick of Thanuala, Jagannath Parida of Jogada and others– lamented that the level of pollution triggered by Ramco cement plant is becoming unbearable by the day.
“People have been living in a toxic atmosphere with cement dust in the air, fumes and the deafening machine sound. In the last three years, some locals have died of diseases induced by air pollution,” they said. After repeated media reports about pollution from Ramco plant, a special team of scientists from the regional office of SPCB has taken stock of the situation. The team came to know that the level of particulate matter10 (PM10) in the air is more than 120. It was suspected that the bag filter of the plant might not be working properly. A thick cloud of smoke and dust envelopes the entire area from 5pm till morning.
Moreover, a layer of dust settles over houses, trees, ponds and water bodies. There are over 10 villages within the 500-metre periphery of the plant.
As per conditions of the SPCB, there should be a green cover around the plant to ensure safety of the villages. Locals said that no such green cover has been created here. Besides, the plant has no solid waste management system as prescribed under Environment Protection Act.
About one and half months have passed since this report was submitted to the SPCB, Bhubaneswar, but the latter is sitting on the report.
Earlier, upset over pollution, locals have approached the sub-divisional magistrate by furnishing documental evidence and violation of norms by Ramco cement plant, March 23
Hearing the case March 28, the magistrate had directed the managing director and the public relations officer of the Ramco cement plant to appear before the court April 12 along with necessary documents. However, the officials had not appeared before the court, locals alleged and expressed their anger over it.
When asked, SPCB regional officer Pramod Kumar Behera refused to say anything about the Ramco pollution issue.
