Addressing presspersons here today, the secretary of the State unit, Pratap Reddy; the secretary-general of the district unit, H. Hanumanthappa; and Mullangie Ravi said that the two steel plants in the city — Bellary Steel and Alloys Ltd. (BASL) and Nava Karnataka Steel — was causing a lot of air pollution.

They charged that though BASL had the equipment to check pollution, they were not utilising the same, as the cost of operation was high. Based on the citizens' complaints, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, after issuing several notices, had issued notice to the management to close the factory if it failed to check pollution by December 15. The Deputy Commissioner should ensure that the factory either stopped polluting or initiate steps to close down the factory.

They said that the district administration had failed to prevent dust pollution caused by iron ore being transported through the city. According to them, the officials had turned a blind eye to the dumping of iron ore in plots within the city limits.

They demanded that the Deputy Commissioner take steps to prevent dust pollution by imposing a ban on the movement of loaded lorries with ore during the day, besides initiating steps to construct a bypass.

Mr. Reddy urged the Deputy Commissioner to convene a meeting of elected representatives, officials, mine owners, lorry owners, and public representatives to discuss the issue. "If no positive steps are taken within a week, we will be left with no alternative but to launch an agitation," he said.

The leaders took exception to the erratic supply of drinking water in the city and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party-controlled administration for the failure.

They said though there was enough water in the reservoir, water was not being supplied regularly owing to frequent pipe bursts. They urged the authorities concerned to take steps to lay quality pipes and ensure uninterrupted water supply.