KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Nov 24: Strong resentment prevails among the residents of Kandra against a steel and iron pellet unit, as the unit is allegedly causing pollution across the area.
Amalgam Steel and Power Ltd is the said alleged unit located along the Adityapur-Kandra four-lane at Kandra, about 15 km away from Jamshedpur.
The residents who live in the surrounding villages do complain of a layer of dust particles settled in their houses every morning and vegetational plants covered with a black layer of polluting particles.
Not only the houses and vegetation, the waterbodies, especially ponds, have become useless for even cattle due to the air pollution.
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Administration Yet to Respond
Concerned with the deteriorating situation caused by the Amalgam Steel and Power, some local activists had taken up the cudgel and approached the district administration as well as the pollution control board authority concerned, but to no avail.
Despite repeated approaches, neither the district administration nor the pollution control board authority took notice of the residents’ grievances.
Industry Compliance in Question
Thick columns of colourful smokes can be seen emanating from the chimneys of Amalgam Steel and Power while passing through the Adityapur-Kandra four-lane highway any time. Though for some, the skyline of Kandra may reflect a proof of thriving industrial activities, but on the other hand, the innocent villagers have to bear the brunt of the polluting unit.
“Industrial activity is alright, but it should not be at the cost of health hazards being spread by the Amalgam Steel and Power. Had the company followed the pollution control board’s norms by installing the equipment like ESP and back filter to be operational 24 hours, then such a situation would not have arisen,” said a social activist while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
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Pollution Board Claims System in Place
Regional officer, Jharkhand Pollution Control Board (JPCB), Jitendra Prasad Singh, however, claimed that Amalgam Steel and Power is equipped with the pollution control equipment necessary as per the Pollution Control Board’s norms.
“The pollution control measures followed by the Amalgam Steel and Power are being monitored online by the Jharkhand Pollution Control Board’s (JPCB) Ranchi office and also by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi, round the clock. Moreover, the district administration and the regional pollution control board officers conduct inspection whenever we get any complaint against the Amalgam Steel and Power or any other sponge iron unit as such,” claimed Singh while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
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Villagers Threaten Stir
The social activist, however, stated that the affected villagers are getting increasingly impatient, and if the company concerned does not comply with the pollution control measures effectively, the villagers will be compelled to launch a massive agitation.
