RTPS faces Rs 76 crore penalty for polluting air, water in Karnataka

The state-owned Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) has come under the scanner for allegedly violating rules by emitting pollutants three times higher than the prescribed limit, posing a serious threat to public health.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a show-cause notice asking why a penalty of up to Rs 76.62 crore should not be levied on the plant.

The notice was issued to the thermal plant, the oldest in the state, in February after an inspection conducted by a CPCB team in August 2025 to verify environmental compliance and the status of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS). Back in July 2015, the Board had issued notice to RTPS to install the systems.

While all eight units were operational, monitoring was not done as per the rules. “OCEMS for emission parameters in Unit-3 was found non-operational since August 2022, and in the case of Unit-2, the sensors were not properly aligned,” the notice said.

At the effluent treatment plant (ETP), the pollution measuring devices were dipped in a bucket of water rather than the actual polluted effluent.

“The OCEMS sensors installed in the ETP settling tank outlet were immersed in a bucket (since March 2025), and the data display was turned off, indicating that the quality of the treated effluent discharged from the ETP settling tank outlet is not being monitored,” it said.

Moreover, the prescribed emission for particulate matter (PM) showed that RTPS was emitting twice to three times above the prescribed maximum limit of 100 milligrams/cubic metre. Manual monitoring showed that the OCEMS was downplaying the high concentration of emissions. The Board noted that the numbers indicate “gross deviation”.

Safety threatened, river polluted

Moreover, a high threat to safety prevented the monitoring of the emissions of one unit. “PM emission monitoring could not be done in Unit-3 due to the stack being severely damaged, posing a high risk to the surrounding area, resulting in its being barricaded by the plant,” the notice said.

The rules bar the discharge of treated/untreated effluent outside the premises. However, it was observed that the excess treated effluent discharged into the ash ponds overflowed and reached the Krishna River after travelling 2km. The ETP settling tank was also filled with ash, it noted.

To questions, RTPS executive director H R Ramesh said they have filed a compliance report. “It is true there were some issues in complying with the norms issued in 2020. We have taken all the corrective measures and requested that they not levy a penalty. The OCEMS sensors were immersed in water because the ETP settling tank was filled with ash and there was a need for maintenance,” he said.

Asked whether the compliance report involves understanding the impact of the air pollution caused by RTPS on public health, Ramesh said the rules stipulate only compliance with emission norms.