Jharsuguda Congress MlA Naba Kishore Das has written to the Northern Division RDC and Chairman of Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) to convene a meeting of the committee to resolve the Katikela issue at the earliest.
In the aftermath of breach in ash pond no 2 of Vedanta limited at Jharsuguda on August 28, the villagers of Katikela had expressed their desire to be resettled and shifted elsewhere.
Subsequently, a meeting was convened by the Jharsuguda district Collector with concerned departments in presence of Vedanta limited officials and elected peoples representatives and villagers of Katikela.
Despite all the explaining, the villagers insisted to be resettled and displaced from the village. After prolonged discussion it was decided that the RPDAC Chairman will call a meeting to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) on Thursday issued a notice to the Vedanta Aluminium ltd (VAl) asking it to close down its five units at Katikela in Jharsuguda district.
The firm has been asked to close two units at the Inspection Test Plan and three units at the Captive Power Plant.
The move came after hundreds of acres of farmlands with standing crops were inundated with fly ash slurry following an 800-meter breach in the embankment of ash pond no. 2 of the captive power plant of VAl at Katikela on August 28.
Meanwhile, the VAl in a release said following a breach in the ash pond dyke wall, the OSPCB has served a direction resulting in a temporary closure of three units of 135 MW each of the 1215 MW power plant, and two units of 600 MW each of the 2400 MW power plant.
The remaining units of the 1215 MW plant have been allowed to operate until October 12, 2017 and the rest of the units of the 2400MW plant have been allowed to operate until September 20, 2017.
The OSPCB has asked the company for compliance of certain conditions with a concrete plan within five days. The company is complying with the order of OSPCB along with a request for revoking the said closure orders.
This action may require a temporary power purchase of upto 200 MW, and hence a marginal impact on cost of production of aluminium. The company expects to be able to sustain the smelter capacity without affecting its production volume.
The company is working towards lifting of the OSPCB closure orders at the earliest to ensure that aluminium production is not affected, the release said.