Preparing feedback for the State’s Draft Climate Change Action Plan (DCCAP), the local Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF) and the Zilla Mahila Manch (ZMM) here, at a workshop presided over by advocate Rabindra Prasad Pattnaik, have demanded incorporation of the observations, analysis and recommendations made in the Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of Industrial Clusters (CEAIC) prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) statutory body and the IIT Delhi and also the subsequent action plan in the DCCAP.
Besides urging for a special budgetary provision for restoration of environmental health of the region here, the participants also demanded that there must not be further any power plants, industrialisation and expansion of the existing units in the Angul-Dhenkanal region.
Initiating the discussions, ZMM convener Er Sasmita Behera expressed her disappointment as due emphasis has not been given on the DCCAP for Angul-Dhenkanal industrial belt despite being the seventh most-polluted area of the country.
Behera reiterated her demand for a special budgetary provision for restoration of the environmental health of Angul-Talcher’s highly-polluted zone in accordance with the CPCB suggestions.
The CPCB has declared the zone as a Critically Polluted Industrial Cluster having aggregated CEPI scores of 70 above and has recommended for priority attention and formulation of appropriate remedial action plan.
Environmentalist and social activist Krishna Mohanty, Ranjeet Pattnaik, MR Mishra, Lalit Pattnaik and advocate DK Pani suggested various action plans for restoration of environmental health of the area.
The delegates at the workshop also demanded that, Polluters Must Pay theory of late Biju Babu should be re-implemented to provide at least clean water and better environment to the area, a Special Environment Court and an Environment Laboratory should be established at Angul, a Environment Watchdog should be formed with local MP, MLAs, mediapersons and representatives of the civil societies.
Coordinating the workshop, Bijay Mishra emphasised on active participation of civil society organisations, mediapersons and concerned citizens to control pollution of the area. The workshop was attended by intellectuals, environmentalists and NGO leaders.
