Cuttack | Dec 04, 2017: The National Green Tribunal has ordered a high-level probe into alleged destructive activities and unscientific management of the Balda iron mining project in Barbil of Keonjhar district.

The tribunal's east zone bench ordered the inquiry on a petition, which alleged that non-compliance of environmental clearance conditions led to the obstruction of natural streams, underground water contamination and the unscientific management of mines overburden caused severe environmental hazard in the locality.

Two residents of Raisuan in Keonjhar district, Ramachandra Mahant and Jeevan Kunar Nayak, filed the petition expressing concern over the environmental degradation and pollution in the region caused due to the mining project undertaken by a private party and inaction of authorities on the lapses.

The petition came up on November 28. "After a hearing the tribunal's east zone bench in Calcutta directed the ministry of environment and forests to inquire into the allegations of non-compliance of environmental clearance conditions and submit a report on its veracity on the next date," petitioner counsel Sankar Prasad Pani said.

"The tribunal has posted the matter to January 11, 2018 for hearing," Pani said.

It was alleged that though mining operations had been undertaken by the private company in the Balda iron block since 1962 "no significant progress has been seen in the systematic mine closure and back filling of void pits".

Unscientific dumping of mining overburden was leading to siltation of nallas and water bodies. Discharge of untreated mine water to the Betuli nallah was polluting the water bodies. Besides, the required plantation activity was not undertaken, the petition further alleged.

The petition has sought the tribunal's direction to the private company to maintain the overburden dumps in a scientific manner, determine the accountability of public authorities for their inaction and allowing the private company to violate the environment norms, initiate criminal proceedings against them under the Environment Protection Act 1986 and impose penalty for violating the environment norms and causing pollution.

"Around 15,000 of trucks engaged in transportation of minerals from the mines to the railway siding and other sites along the road pass through several villages. There has been acute vehicular pollution due to the transportation. Besides, the roads are also not being properly maintained there by creating dust pollution as a result the visibility becomes low leading to accidents and health hazards," the petition alleged.

According to the petition, the ministry of environment and forests had granted environmental clearance for expansion of the mining project on November 19, 2013. The private company had enhanced its production capacity from 4.5 to 15.15 million tonnes per annum in 2014.

The forest clearance, which was valid till 2nd December 2017, lapsed and no further clearance is available there after.

"While expanding the mining project's capacity, the pollution norms were not followed and the authority responsible to ensure the implementation of the norms failed miserably," the petition alleged.

(Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/)