Ferrying of coal and garbage in uncovered vehicles through well-populated localities is one of the main reasons behind the high pollution levels of Bermo sub-division with the respective stakeholders, coal companies and local Bermo Municipal Corporation (BMC) turning a blind eye to the health hazard.
In blatant violation of environment rules, an average of over 5,000 heavy vehicles, including tippers without covers, transport coal from mines including Govindpur, Swang, Kathara, Dhori, Kargali, Makoli to various places everyday and expose mineral polluting in the air increasing health risks, locals said.
Similarly, over 50 tractors deployed by the local civic body and power projects carry garbage in the open, the tarpaulin sheets with which the vehicles ought to be covered conveniently forgotten, said Subash Thakur of Phusro.
According to DVC employee RS Pandey the sight and smell of uncovered filth are not only unbearable, but also raise hygiene posers that the authorities ignore blatantly.
Realising the gravity of the situation, Bokaro deputy commissioner (DC) Mirtunjay Kumar Barnawal, at a district-level environment committee meeting held recently, had issued strict instructions to coal firms and Bokaro Thermal and Chanderpura Power plants and ensure transport of coal using covered vehicles only.
He had also asked District transport officer Santosh Garg to carry out periodic checks to prevent coal transport in uncovered vehicles.
Last month, environmentalist Gulab Prajapati took up the matter, sending a letter to Chief Minister Raghubar Das to draw his attention towards the plight of coal town residents, who are prone to various lung disorders like bronchitis, tuberculosis etc, because of the practice of transporting coal in open vehicles by coal companies and power projects.
“As a majority of coal transport work is carried out by contractors, we have included the provision of covering the vehicles with tarpaulin sheets in their agreements.
But they are violating the terms of agreement. We can take action if the violations are brought to our notice," head of a coal company’s environment department, said.
District transport officer of Bokaro, Santosh Garg admitted that though they had organised checking drives to stop open ferrying of coal, which had curbed the menace to some extent, violations were still taking place.
On garbage disposal,insiders at BMC admitted that sanitation workers were not using tarpaulin sheets because of lax monitoring by the authorities.
Gulab Prajapati environmentalist, who cited Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) figures in his letter to point out that respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in Bokaro district was exceeded over permissible limit, called for strict action.
We need initiatives from the government at all levels to check air pollution," he said.