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In a setback to Essar Steel and Brahmani River Pellets Ltd (BRPL), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has continued its stay order, restraining both companies to draw water from the Baitarani river in Keonjhar district of Odisha.
Both Essar Steel and BRPL used to draw water from the river to lay underground slurry pipelines for iron ore transportation from Joda to Paradeep.
The petitioners- Murali Sharma and Sarbeswar Mishra had prayed to the NGT bench for quashing the environment clearance granted by the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF), citing that Essar Steel had claimed that it had diverted the route plan of the proposed pipeline. Earlier, the NGT had ordered stopping of all activities of pipe laying.
In their arguments before the bench, the counsels of the petitioners pointed out that since the company had changed its plan, it should file an application for fresh environment clearance.
“The NGT has continued its stay order restraining the two companies to draw water from the Baitarani river. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 13”, said Sharma.
Slurry transportation is expected to cut transportation costs by 75 per cent but is believed to result in unhealthy competition and affect the operational steel plants in the state. The petitioner pointed out that slurry transportation would create huge unemployment, throwing truck owners and drivers out of jobs, resulting in economic distress.
