Taking serious approach towards protecting the city from rising pollution levels, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand on Thursday directed officials of Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) to ensure regular use of pollution control equipment by industrial units operational in Urla, Borjhara and Siltara zones.
Moreover, Dhand also instructed officials to carry out inspection of units to ensure inspection of pollution control equipment.
Chairing a meeting at the Mantralaya here, Dhand gave specific directives to CECB officials to ensure strict compliance of environment related rules by industrial units and instructed them to take stern action against units violating the rules.
As per information received, the Chief Secretary has ordered officials to inspection in sponge iron plants, rolling mills, power plants, ferro alloys plants, induction furnace units on a regular basis and guarantee mandatory use of pollution control equipment.
Besides, Dhand also directed officials of Transport Department to chalk out a work plan for subjecting two and four wheelers into pollution check and issuance of fitness certificate after examination.
Similarly, the Chief Secretary also instructed Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials to take effective measures for checking pollution from construction works and garbage.
“As many as 20 sponge iron plants and two power plants operational in Raipur have online facility of measuring emission from chimneys and the CECB is undertaking real-time monitoring of these units. The CECB has initiated action against 22 units for not installing online chimney emission measuring equipment,” Board’s Chairman Aman Kumar Singh informed in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh government has also directed commissioners of various municipal corporations and officials of municipal councils to ensure strict compliance of notification of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2006 during construction of building and township development project in their respective jurisdiction.
A notification in this regard was recently issued by Urban Administration and Development Department from the Mantralaya.
As per the notification, the concerned officials will have to mandatorily mention about prior environment clearance in permit issued for construction work.
A directive in this regard was issued by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s state-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Chhattisgarh to Directorate of Urban Administration and Development Department and Directorate of Town and Country Planning Department on September 2015, informed official sources.
In April last year, the Chhattisgarh government had directed the real estate developers to submit details of minor minerals being used for construction work in the prescribed proforma to the State Mineral Resources Department.
Moreover, the district collectors now would be authorised to allot mining pattas measuring upto 5,000 hectares in the State, officials stated.
Earlier the collectors could allot pattas measuring upto 4,000 hectares.
The State government for the first time since its formation has enforced the Miner Minerals Rule 2015. In this regard, the State Mineral Resources Department has notified the rule in the Gazette on March 27, 2015.
The government also notified that no mining patta below one acre of land would now be allotted. The holders of old mining plots would also have to submit their mining plans after getting them endorsed within a period of one year.