East Jaiñtia Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ethelbert Kharmalki has refuted reports of children engaged as labourers in coke factories even as he stated that no such report was made available by the inspection team to his office.
Kharmalki told reports today that he had also carried out an inspection, but those children found inside the campus of the coke factories are offspring of labourers working there.
He said that the Labour Department had also directed owners of the coke factories not to house families inside the campus.
According to reports quoting district official, it was alleged that children were engaged as labourers in coke factories after obtaining the Consent to Operate from the State pollution control board.
Meanwhile, Governor, Satya Pal Malik has constituted an expert technical committee to undertake a comprehensive study on all aspects of coke plants in the state relating to the environment, public health and related issues and to suggest specific recommendations.
The committee comprises of MSPCB chief BK Lyngwa as the chairman and former member secretary of MSPCB, N. Nengnong as member secretary. Other members of the committee include State Expert Appraisal Committee chief Naba Bhattacharjee, former HoD, Department of Environment Sciences, NEHU, Prof. (Dr.) BK Tewari and Under Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, Dr. TSR Marak.
The committee will undertake a comprehensive environment & public health related study on the coke plants and impact of such units on the general environment in the vicinity of the location of all such units.
The committee has been authorised to study all relevant documents required by the Single Window Agency for approval and suggest additional measures, if any, for streamlining the single window clearance including quality and source of raw materials for the plant.
The committee shall also undertake study of the ‘cluster’ situation arising out of the location of coke plants and suggest measures to combat and neutralise/minimise the impact on the environment on account of functioning within a cluster other than stand alone units.
The committee will formulate an inclusive environment safeguard measures for compliance by the coke units from the stage of establishment, operation and in course of functioning to neutralise/minimise impact on the environment conforming to the Air Act and Water Act and any other environment regulatory acts/rules under EP Act, 2006, EIA Notification, 2006 etc., which the committee may deem applicable considering the ground situation on case to case basis.
The committee will also undertake a technical appraisal of the Siting Norms notified by MSPCB in respect to setting up of coke plants in the state. The committee may suggest additional measures, if any, for seamless implementation of the norms in the interest of environment protection under Water and Air Act.
The committee will suggest additional environment safeguard infrastructure/equipment other than those normally installed in coke plants with a view to ensure optimal level of protection to the environment particularly from stand point of fugitive emissions leading to pollution of ambient air quality and contamination of both ground & surface water sources/bodies present in the vicinity of coke plants, affecting public health.
The committee is authorised to commission a pollution load study through experienced National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians accredited environment consultants to ascertain pollution load of coke plants to commensurate with their actual production capacity.
