The environment co-ordination committee (ECC) of Elaka Sutnga has been shocked to discover that the state government has not moved a finger in meeting a National Green Tribunal (NGT) deadline on polluting coke plants.
This was stated by the ECC’s legal adviser, Reading War, today. The ECC also threatened strong agitations if the government fails to implement the action plan by the November 8 deadline.
A delegation of the ECC submitted a representation to the office of the Chief Minister pertaining to the action plan meant for coke plants established before December 23, 2020, which is as per the judgement of the NGT in July 2022.
War said that there are 12 coke plants in East Jaiñtia Hills that obtained consent to operate (CTO) before December 23, 2020. The NGT, in 2022, directed the state government to prepare an action plan for these coke plants to make them compliant with the norms laid down in 2020.
However, he said that the members of the ECC who met the Joint Secretary of the Forests and Environment Department and officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) today were shocked to learn that none of the government departments have taken any initiative to adopt or frame the action plan.
“The joint secretary told us that he has not received any such directions to prepare the action plan and this was also the response from the officials of MSPCB,” War said.
Stating that the coke plants should be completely banned, he said, “We are really surprised to see that the government has approved all these disastrous coke plants simply through the single window agency in Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills without any thought and balance for the social cost.”
Two people have lost their lives due to suffocation from the non-stop pollution generated by coke plants in the region, he claimed. The ECC has also filed complaints with the East Jaiñtia Hills Deputy Commissioner, hoping that the matter will be tackled as an issue of public nuisance, but to no avail.
As part of its hopes for the action plan, it wants no new coke plants to be set up in Elaka Sutnga or the rest of East Jaiñtia Hills. It also wants the Rs 5.5 crore in environmental compensation levied on the 31 coke units, to be finalised by November 8 and shared with affected villages to restore damage caused.
Meanwhile, War also said that the case filed in the district court against 31 offending coke units has been dismissed due to the fault of the MSPCB.
“It is really shocking to learn that the case filed at the district court against the 31 different offending coke units has been dismissed on grounds that the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board did not follow proper procedure when it filed the case,” he told reporters.
