By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 21, 2016 : The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has slapped a closure direction on Visa Steel’s ferro alloys plant and the direct-reduced iron (DRI) unit at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district for its failure to abide by the air and water pollution norms.

Incidentally, the Board withdrew the consent to operate given to both the manufacturing units and asked the Company to take adequate measures to comply with the norms.

The Board’s closure direction comes after it issued a show-cause notice given to the Company in September. The company replied to the notice and sought reprieve from the board, but the Board found the response unsatisfactory

The Board issued notice under Section 33A of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Section 31A of the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It also instructed the company to intimate the date of halting of operations of the ferro alloys plant and the DRI unit. Failure to comply might lead to legal action, the board observed in its notice.

The watchdog found heavy dust emission from the ferro alloys furnaces, causing extensive air pollution in the area. Pneumatic dust handling system installed at the bag filters was not working properly.

What is worse is the fact that the company has the facility of water washing of iron ore in DRI plant without prior approval of the Board. The washouts containing tailings were found to be accumulated in the work zone area, leading into a storm water drain. Moreover, no air pollution control devices were provided for control of emissions during tapping in blast furnace.

Irked by the Company’s failure on all fronts to follow the norms, the Board has now called for a time-bound action plan to furnish a comprehensive scheme for management and treatment of surface run off and process effluent generated from all the process areas, bring the solid waste dumping area into a proper shape, repair the existing internal roads and install dust extraction system.