Shut down Orissa plant, Bhushan told

The Orissa Pollution Control Board (OPCB) on Monday issued a closure notice to Bhushan Power and Steel (BPSL) for not making arrangements for the suitable disposal of solid waste.

BPSL has been asked to stop all production till further orders, failing which stringent penal proceedings would be initiated against the company. BPSL currently produces 1.2 million tonnes of steel, which would subsequently be raised to 2.2 million tonnes through expansion drives.

The unit is located in an area bordering Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts. BPSL has been charged with violating the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

BPSL is also accused of not having a legitimate site for dumping. This, according to environmental norms, is a serious offence.

Officials said the government green body had been asking BPSL to conform to environmental norms for the past six months. However, the company did not pay any heed to it, they added. OPCB waited for six months and finally decided on closing down the unit.

A senior environment engineer of OPCB said, "We felt that Bhushan was not taking our instructions in the right spirit and, therefore, we were left with no option but closing down the unit. By the day, environmental hazards were increasing as Bhushan continued production."

OPCB officials said the board had asked Bhushan to dump its solid waste on 300 acres of land as that was the area required for the suitable functioning of the plant.

Bhushan, instead, identified 25 acres to dump the waste as an interim arrangement.

The board was not happy with Bhushan's steps and issued show-cause notices from time to time to increase the area for dumping. According to officials, the company also bided time and created environmental hazards around its entire plant.

The company, meanwhile, will be allowed to carry on with its expansion work as it does not have any bearing on the solid waste disposal mechanism.

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KICKING UP DIRT

Bhushan is charged with violating air and water pollution control Acts

Steel maker is also accused of not having a legitimate site for dumping solid waste

Company asked to stop all production till further orders

It now produces 1.2 million tonnes of steel and plans to raise output to 2.2 million tonnes