State to take action against violators of green laws

The Hindu , Monday, June 25, 2012
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
The State government has sought to take action against the lessees who will be found not complying with the provisions of the Mineral Concessions Rules, 1960, and Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 1988, related to the protection of environment and reclamation and rehabilitation of lands.

In a letter to the Director of Mines and Member Secretary of State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), Steel and Mines Secretary D. K. Singh has asked him to prepare the list of violators and submit it to the department for action including cancellation of lease.

The SPCB should monitor air pollution due to dust, smoke or gaseous emissions during prospecting, mining, beneficiation or metallurgical operations and related activities in the mines area.

Besides, every prospecting licence holders should take all possible precautions to prevent or reduce the discharge of toxic and objectionable liquid effluents from mines, workshop, beneficiation or metallurgical plants, tailing ponds, into surface water bodies, ground water aquifer and usable lands, to a minimum. The SPCB has been asked to closely monitor the pollution caused by companies.

“During joint inspection of the mines with Indian Bureau of Mines, the officials of SPCB, the compliance to provisions of MCDR, 1988 should be specifically enquired into and necessary action taken whenever non-compliance is noticed,” the Steel and Mine Secretary said.

He said, “the IBM should be impressed to initiate penal action under rule 58 of the rules of 1988 in addition to submission of proposal to the State government for cancellation of the prospecting licence.”

Prasanna Behera, an Angul-based environmentalist, said, “by despatching letter, the department is just doing its duty. But the situation on ground is very precarious. Mining companies hardly give any respect to noble provisions laid down in the laws.”

“People residing near mines are forced to inhale air filled with dust. Water bodies in the localities are damaged due to discharge of toxic material and deposit of dusts in the water,” said Mr. Behera.

 
SOURCE : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/article3567771.ece
 


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