Udupi: Stick to Environment Regulations or Face Closurere – Palemar to UPCL
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Apr 8: “If it is found that Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) has violated the conditions stipulated by Karnataka Environment Pollution Board, steps will be taken against the official of the company designated with responsibilities of overseeing environment-related issues. The government will not dither from even ordering UPCL to shut down,” said state environment minister, Krishna J Palemar. He was speaking to reporters after visiting UPCL site at Yellur near Paduibidri in the company of Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, D V Sadanand Gowda, on Thursday April 7 morning.
He said that the company will be asked to conform to the conditions set by the board to it, within a set time frame. The government will permit generation of electricity only after all the conditions are met, and the government is satisfied about it, he added.
At first, the minister and MP visited the fly ash pond in Santoor, and inspected disposal of ash at the bottom, steps being taken to ensure that it does not pollute the environment, and the problems being faced by the local people. The officials of pollution control board, who accompanied the minister, claimed that they have been conducting comparative studies of the ill affects of UPCL plant on environment, on a weekly basis. The issue of taking the president of the local gram panchayat into confidence in the coming weeks to find an amicable solution to the problems, was also discussed.
The delegation also discussed the damage to environment caused by saline water of the sea being used by the company for the cooling tower, with the locals and Mescom officials. It also noted that coal had been heaped on the ground. The company officials said that ender has been called for covering the stock of coal.
In between, the MP chided the journalists as turning normal issues into sensitive ones. After the comment was stiffly resisted, he apologized for the comment.
Karnataka Environment Control Board senior officers, Nandakumar and Kumar, district superintendent of police, Ravikumar, company officials, Kishore Alva, Krishnagopal, and Sudarshan Prasad, Nandikoor Janajagruti Samiti Mumbai unit secretary, Gananath Shetty, Mudarangady gram panchayat president, Sunilraj Shetty, and several other were present.
The MP said that the power generation in UPCL will be temporarily shut down if the company continues to play with the lives of the people, fails to address problems of the locals, and violates environment-related conditions, within a month. He told the company to scientifically dispose off fly ash, stop leakage of water from pipes carrying saline water from the sea, stop seepage of saline water from fly ash pond, and implement recommendations contained in the study report of the experts committee formed for the purpose.
In the meanwhile, several locals have complained that on account of UPCL thermal power plant, salt water gets sprinkled in the region, spoiling their clothes and adversely affecting the growth of vegetation in the region.