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the recent assessment of Orissa's environmental pollution by the Comptroller and Auditor General (cag) of India contains an underlying message: though it is counted among the least industrialised states, yet Orissa ranks high in terms of industrial pollution.
The cag has rebuked the state government and pollution control board (pcb) for their sloppy approach to tackling industrial pollution and not holding urban governance bodies accountable for their failure to dispose of solid wastes. The report states: "The weak enforcement of relevant laws in air pollution and waste management has posed a serious threat to the environment of the state."
However, if the state government's reaction is an indicator it appears to be following an ostrich policy. K Judisekhar, Orissa's director of environment, says, "If we get carried away by this report, we will remain an industrially neglected state." Worse still, he feels that "since Orissa does not figure in the list of the 10 most industrially developed states of India, it cannot have a propensity for industrial pollution".
This simplistic surmise is proved wrong by the comprehensive cag report, which is backed by incontrovertible documentary evidence. There is specific mention among the damning findings of 12 highly polluting industries that are still continuing operations in violation of the prescribed standards pronounced in the Union government's notification. This dubious list includes three major industrial units of the state -- the Talcher Thermal Power Station, Rourkela Steel Plant and Ms Oswal Chemical and Fertilisers.
Of these, Oswal fertilisers -- against which 55 villages are protesting for polluting Mahanadi river -- operated even after the consent of the pcb had expired. "The industry continued to discharge pollution load in violation of the direction of the pollution control board," discloses the report. However, Rabi Mohapatra, general manager of the company, clarifies, "We had applied for renewal of consent before the due date. But the pcb did not hold discussions with us for four months. After that they set various conditions, which could not be implemented overnight."
The cag also comes down heavily on the pcb for failing to initiate punitive action against 102 local bodies, 91 stone crushing units, 12 industries and eight open cast mines though it ought to have kept these polluters under close surveillance. The board's inability to enforce green laws despite being aware of large-scale pollution has been highlighted in the report.
"Punitive action against 91 polluting stone crushing units has been confined only to the issuance of show-cause notices and followed up with closure notices along with disconnection of electricity supply. However, the pcb has failed to take effective measures such as imposing a penalty and awarding prison terms as envisaged in section 39 of Air Act, 1981," maintains the document. Significantly, ambient air quality tests conducted for different stone crushers in the Angul-Talcher Development Area have shown spm (suspended particulate matter) levels to often be as high as 13 times the permissible limit.
The pcb blames its non-performance on a fund crunch and the subsequent technology vacuum. It cites the example of the chromium mines in Sukinda valley. Mining has been polluting the local air and water with carcinogens such as hexavalent chromium, but the board reveals that it is hamstrung by its lack of expertise. The contention on the shortage of funds does not hold water in the wake of the cag's observation that the percentage of unspent money has gone up from 62.16 to 67.91 during the past five years.
Sadly, in the absence of a regular environment minister (the current incumbent is on leave for a year) and with the reins in the hands of a government that protects polluters, the report attracted little attention in the state assembly.