Palemar to set deadline to rectify UPCL lacunae

Speaking to the reporters after visiting the plant and ash pond site along with Udupi-Chikmagalur MP D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday, Palemar said that he found that people have lost confidence over the officials of his department of environment. They suspect that the department officials have developed unholy nexus with the company in hovering most of the conditions laid down by the department.

Stating that it is now his responsibility to take up confidence building measures for the department, he ordered officials of environment department to submit the copies of consent for establishment (CoE) and consent for operations (CoO) issued by the department to the company.

“If any official is found guilty of helping the company thereby violating the conditions that officials will be severely punished. Even the company will have to pay a heavy price,” he added.

He said that he would speak to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa during his visit to Mangalore on April 8 and 9 and then announce the cut off date on April 10 for the company for setting right all the lacunae.

“If the company fails to set right its faults, the government has every right to order temporary closure of the company. State is in need of power but it should not be at the cost of people,” he asserted.

Even though government has the right to shut down the plant, it intends to give second thought in view of power shortage in the State. Consequently, government has decided to give time to the company to set right the loopholes, he said.   

Palemar said his ministry has constituted an expert committee to assess the damage and pollution caused by UPCL. The team comprises six members from MIT, Manipal, NITK, Suratkal, environmentalist from his department to periodically monitor the situation and report to the department.

He informed that the company has been asked to build two more ponds on either side of the main ash pond for preventing percolation of contaminated water into the nearby fields or wells or overflow of slurry water during rainy season.

Udupi-Chikmagalur MP D V Sadananda Gowda said that the company has violated all the conditions due to which environmental issues have cropped up. Referring to Pejawar mutt seer Sri Vishweshatheertha Sripada’s recent statements urging for closing down the functioning of the company, Gowda reiterated that it is only the government that has the right to take decision on closing down the plant and no seer is authorised to do so.

The company officials informed that the company for the first time in the country has incorporated FGD system for fly ash.

It is also using closed container for transporting the ground ash to the pond. About 14 to 15 trucks load of ash is taken daily to Bangalore by road in covered vehicles, they added.