Illegal brick kiln business is rampant in Ganjam district violating all the norms and conditions.
For the last 30 years, the business has been thriving in the district under the blessing of the political leaders and local administrations.
This was disclosed by social worker Bishnu Prasad Misra who filed a case before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Eastern Zone Bench of Kolkata recently. Significantly, Misra in his application prayed to close all the illegal brick kiln units operating in Ganjam under the political patronage.
Notably, in response to a similar petition earlier, the tribunal’s division bench, comprising Justice Pratap Kumar Ray (judicial member) and Prof Pramod Chandra Mishra (Expert member), directed repeatedly to the Chief Secretary, Collector, Ganjam and Member Secretary, Odisha State Pollution Control Board to close the units forcibly within stipulated period, but in vain. The administration taking different pleas before the tribunal in different dates only delayed the process of law to satisfy the Government as well as the ruling party, Misra alleged.
The petitioner also alleged that all the brick kiln mafias are notably the active workers of the ruling party. Additional standing counsel of the State Pravat Kumar Muduli and advocate of the State Pollution Control Board Papiya Banerjee Bihani sought time to file reply relating to the supplementary affidavit and rejoinder filed by the applicant lawyer Biranchi Narayan Mahapatra.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary and the Collector of Ganjam have filed separate affidavits before the NGT listing the names and addresses of the illegal mafias, but there is no coercive action against them according to law.