A public interest writ petition was filed in the Kerala High Court on Monday, seeking a directive to remove the hazardous substances stored at the abandoned industrial plant of M/s. Edayar Zinc Limited (formerly Binani Zinc Ltd), a subsidiary company of the Braj Binani Group of industries, located in the Edayar Industrial Development Area.
The petition was filed by P.E. Shamsudheen, a resident near the area. The petition said the company was engaged in the production of zinc at its factory located on 110 acres on the bank of the Periyar. Established in 1967, it had stopped its operations all of a sudden on November 27, 2014, even when the production process was halfway through. The company had virtually abandoned the industrial plant, leaving no staff, even for ensuring safety and security of the plant. It had also disconnected the electric supply to the factory. As a result, no pollution control, safety and fire-fighting equipment could be operated.
The petitioner said that an inspection conducted by the Factories and Boilers Department and the State Pollution Control Board two years ago had revealed that many hazardous substances were stored in the storage tank, process lines, and reactors on the factory premises. These had the potential of polluting the river and causing danger to the life and safety of the public and environment if they were not removed urgently from the premises in a scientific manner.
The direction issued by the PCB in this regard had not been complied with. The PCB and the Factories and Boilers Department were not taking any concrete steps for the removal of the substances except dashing off letters repeatedly to the company. Several lakh tonnes of jerrosite, a hazardous waste, were stored in the open on the factory premises.
The petitioner sought a directive to prepare an action plan for the removal and disposal of the hazardous waste stored in four huge ponds and all other such material on the premises.
The petitioners also pleaded for a directive to the State government and the district administration to constitute a multi-disciplinary committee headed by a scientific expert from the Hazardous Substance Management Division for taking an inventory of the hazardous substances stored on the premises of the company.
