Host of industries operating in Jharkhand, particularly those located on the banks of river Ganga or its major tributaries Damodar and Subarnarekha, have come under direct supervision of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the apex judicial body for cases relating to environmental protection. The list includes mainly power generating companies like Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Tenughat Vidyut Nigam limited (TVNl) and a few others.
The NGT has directed, through the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) to present status report on the effluents going out untreated to the holy river directly or indirectly. “In the last hearing we were told to present the status of the industries listed on our website and handed over to the NGT earlier. We have prepared the document and would be presented before the tribunal on next hearing (Thursday or Friday),” said a senior official of the JSPCB.
The pollution board had named over 100 units from the State by categorising those under the Seriously Polluting Industries in November last year. Considerable numbers of units are located on the banks of the Ganga, Damodar and Subarnarekha which included DVC, TVNl, PTPS, JSPl etc. “Main focus of the NGT at present is on Clean Ganga movement which is also one of the focus areas of the Centre. They have identified about seven types of industries that include sugar, tannery, die, paints, toxic chemicals etc.
Fortunately we don’t have any such units along the river or its tributaries in the State but still 10 to 12 power plants, cement plants, crushers etc have been put under scanner. We have collected data about discharges in the form of fly ash which contributes as total suspended matter (TSM) into the river water,” said the official. River Ganga catches a stretch of 36 km of Jharkhand, i.e. from Sahebganj to Rajmahal while from the point of view of pollution control Damodar and Subarnarekha are the main tributaries in the State.
Information suggest that the JSPCB in its report to be presented before the NGT has given clean chit to most of the units after serving notices to those and ensuring compliances from their side on the amount of discharges underway and their nature. “We have prepared detailed report along with drainage maps and Geographical Information System (GIS) data, list of effluents and detailed analysis,” said the official.
Nevertheless, the power generating units in Jharkhand reportedly have not performed well to pass the test and thus made themselves vulnerable to the ire of the NGT in the days to come. The JSPCB, on its part, is mulling to grant them a conditional ‘consent to operate’ with a clear cut time frame to fall in line or perish. “By March, DVC, TVNl and a few others would have to comply with effluent norms set. Failing to that the JSPCB may issue closure notices to the power companies. We would let the NGT know about this,” said a source.
Notably the power generating companies are the major source of electricity to not only Jharkhand but also to the country and by slapping shut down orders power availability across the region may also be jeopardise.