SHILLONG: Pressure is mounting on the State Government to close down the polluting cement plants in the State especially in Jaintia Hills.
Sajay Laloo, who had filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the past to save Myntdu River, this time has alleged that the State Government and the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board are not complying with the Supreme Court’s order to close down industries, which do not have effluent treatment plants. The Supreme Court had ordered ‘consent to operate’ can be given only of the plant, that has effluent treatment plant.
Laloo alleged that as per the order, the industries should have a “functional” primary effluent treatment plant in place or else the industry would not be allowed to operate and its electricity supply will be cut.
“It is clear that the time of three months have been granted to the industries to make their existing primary effluent treatment plant functional or install a functional one if they are to continue beyond this three month period commencing from February 22 last,” he said. He however claimed that 11 cement industries in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region and one in Garo Hills region do not even have a ‘primary effluent treatment plant’ installed and yet they are being allowed to run the industries.
Moreover, he added that two cement industries have ‘primary effluent treatment plant’ installed but they are not as per the requirement prescribed under the relevant rules and regulations and are totally ineffective in curbing air pollution and trapping sulfur smoke.
Laloo added that because of lack of effective and functional ‘primary effluent treatment plant’ in the cement industries operating in the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills regions, these toxic pollutants are directly being released in the air and causing acid rains in the area besides other harmful effects on flora, fauna and citizenry.
Accusing the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board of not taking actions against the said polluting industries, the citizen added that as per the Supreme Court’s directions, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board is obliged to shut down these polluting cement industries immediately after verification of the facts stated in the complaint including immediate disconnection to electricity supply to them.
