The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has recently issued a closure notice to the Visa Steel plant at Kalinganagar of Jajpur for polluting the air and water in the villages near the plant.
The OSPCB , in its notice issued on August 18, has asked the plant to reply within 21 days of the receipt of the notice, failing which legal action will be initiated, said regional officer of OSPCB at Kalinganagar Dr Anup Kumar Mallick.
"We have found serious lapses in the plant during an inspection on May 21 this year. During the spot inspection, we came to know that due to damage of filter bags there were emission of flue gas. Bag filters installed at raw material processing areas were also not operating. The internal roads were not black-topped for which dust emission was observed during transportation. The dry fog system installed at the Raw Material Handling System (RMHS) was not operating," added Dr Mallick.
"Earlier, we also directed the Visa steel plant to build a proper pond to deposit fly ash. At present, they are dumping it in a place near Kudumisahi village," added Dr Mallick.