People in the Gajapati district here have complained against several industrial units for creating pollution. They said that the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is acting as a mere puppet in their hands.
The locals alleged that crores of rupees spent by the Government to contain pollution just go to drain here. Citing an example, they charged that though a small industrial unit in front of the fish market and lIC office at the district headquarters town has been releasing heavy amount of smoke, severely affecting the normal life, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has so far taken no action against it and behaved just as a mute spectator.
The locals complained that the industrial unit is situated near public places where an ICICI bank office, a lIC office and two cinema halls at Jangam Sahi and Seri Sahi are located.
The smoke from the unit has been creating much trouble, but none is serious about finding a solution to it.
The owner doesn’t bother about the people’s woes and hence never minds to check the pollution. While the polluting unit is just a tip of the iceberg, there are several highly polluting units which go scot free despite heavy emission and leaving apart huge dumps of wastes. The residents in various parts of the district have demanded strict action against the defaulting units.