With the fate of POSCO and Vedanta projects hanging in balance over green norms, Orissa government has constituted a squad to monitor implementation of different environmental and forest laws by the industries.
“The State-level squad will primarily ensure that the industries implement forest acts and pollution control laws besides keeping a watch on siphoning of State’s revenue by industries,” said a senior official after a review meeting on action taken on the decisions made in the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The squad, to be headed by managing director of IDCOL, would include members from State Pollution Control Board, Secretary Forest and Environment, water resources departments.
The move to ensure implementation of forest and environment laws came after union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) raising questions on the implementation of certain laws by mega projects of Posco and Vedanta.
While the ministry had already asked the State government to stop project related activities at the Posco’s plant site in Jagatsinghpur district, it rejected Vedanta’s mining plan at Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district on charge of violating forest rights acts, environment protection act and forest conservation act.
Apprehending roadblocks before other projects, the State government decided to ensure no other ventures face the same fate as Posco and Vedanta, an official said adding the State had signed 86 MoUs with different companies for setting up industries in steel, aluminium, cement and power sectors.
While 31 companies had signed MoUs with the State government before formation of HLCA, 55 others were cleared by the committee headed by the Chief Minister.
As the committee headed by the Chief Minister had cleared the 55 projects, the State government wanted to ensure that those units did not violate green norms.
With 27 independent power producers (IPPs) signining MoUs with the State government for production of thermal power, the State estimated generation of an additional 64 mtpa of fly ash in addition to the existing 16mtpa fly ash being generated by different industries.
“Fly ash could emerge as a major problem for pollution control in future. Therefore, the State wanted to regulate the IPPs and CPPs (captive power plants) to manage the pollution,” said the official adding that excess fly ash could be used in filling low-lying areas, strengthen river embankments and making of bricks.
