While hearing a petition filed by five villagers of Udayabat in Paradip, Jagatsinghpur, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata issued notice to Kalinga Calciner, a private company engaged in manufacturing calcined petroleum coke.
The petitioners contended that the factory is a highly polluting unit. So much is the pollution that the residential houses are covered with layers of black dust and water bodies are also equally polluted.
Due to the pollution of air, there is difficulty in breathing, eye irritation and inflammation, skin infection/itching, sleeplessness due to sound pollution among the residents. Besides, the unit dumps its ashes in the water bodies and agricultural land. When the boiler is in operation, the local residents experience severe heat with the surrounding temperature rising.
The agricultural plants are not able to grow because of the dust particles spread over the leaf.
The petitioners were represented by their counsel Sankar Prasad Pani. The next date of hearing is May 24.