HCs to examine if thermal power plants complying with safety

The Supreme Court today left it to the high courts of the various states to examine whether the coal fired thermal power plants (CFTPPs) are complying with safety standards and regulations relating to health of their employees.
A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri relegated the issues to the high courts saying the CFTPPs are spread across the country and it would not be practical for the apex court to examine whether each of them are adhering to safety standards and rules.
"We feel that these aspects could be better examined by the respective High Courts in whose jurisdiction these power plants are situated. The High Court should examine whether there is adequate and effective health delivery system in place and whether there is any evaluation of occupational health status of the workers.

"The High Court should also examine whether any effective medical treatment is meted out to them. We, therefore, feel that it is appropriate to relegate it to the various High Courts to examine these issues with the assistance of the state governments after calling for necessary reports from the CFTPPs situated in their respective states," the bench said.
The high courts of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi/NCT Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Assam have also been asked to "initiate suo moto proceedings in the larger interest of the workers working in CFTPPs".

The apex court also took note of a report submitted by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) which had stated the various health hazards and safety issues in the CFTPPs and had also made various recommendations to address the issues.