Thermal plant liable to pay ₹85 lakh to farmers: NGT panel
Report says unscientific management of fly ash from the facility in Mansa district damaged crops and environment
BATHINDA: The state monitoring panel of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has held Vedanta Group’s Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) liable to pay Rs 85 lakh to farmers of Mansa district as compensation for loss to their crops caused by unscientific management of fly ash generated from the facility.
Punjab panel head justice Jasbir Singh (retd) said on Sunday that following a report by experts, it was also recommended to the NGT to impose environment compensation on the private power generation project located at Mansa district’s Banawala village.
As per the findings submitted on February 17 (HT has a copy), an NGT-constituted pollution monitoring committee, comprising state and central agencies, found that complaints of widespread damage to farmlands and the environment were true and issued a timeline for remedial and preventive steps.
Singh said the recommendation of twin compensation was made after the joint committee heard the TSPL management.
“The TSPL will submit its action plan to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) within a month and the compliance of the same may be made within six months,” he added.
On September 28, 2018, residents of Mansa’s Raipur village had approached the district authorities about ill-effects to their cultivable lands due to the mismanagement of silos of fly ash.
Framers suspected that the radioactive and heavy metals in coal and fly ash have not only affected the soil but also caused air pollution due to emissions from the power plant
Fly ash on 965 acres of Raipur village
Investigations made by Mansa district authorities on January 24, 2019, found fly ash lying on about 965 acres of Raipur.
The Mansa subdivisional magistrate had assessed the compensation amounting to Rs 84,99,574 (Rs 83,04,912 for damaging cotton crop on 528 acres and Rs 1,94,662 for damaging 375 acres of paddy crop).
Since the PCPB has no provision under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 to collect/impose environmental compensation, the villagers approached the NGT.
Taking note of the seriousness of the issue, the tribunal on July 15 last year directed a joint committee, comprising the Central Pollution Control Board, PPCB, State-Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and Mansa district magistrate, to furnish a factual and the action taken report.
PPCB asked to carry out groundwater monitoring
In its report furnished last week, the NGT’s state panel has also asked the PPCB to carry out groundwater monitoring in a 10km radius of the ash dyke of the thermal plant within 15 days to ascertain the impact of leaching.
“Data says there has been low utilisation of ash. The PPCB should issue necessary directions to the industry for utilisation of 100% of dry fly ash for various usages. Since water is used to keep wet huge stocks of ash, it requires detailed examination if leaching is impacting groundwater table in the area,” said justice Singh.
The TSPL has been asked to develop a greenbelt of three rows of plants of broadleaf around its periphery within three months. It will undertake validation of online emission data captured by the online continuous emission monitoring system on a six-monthly basis and provide a report to the PPCB for further analysis.
Also, a green buffer of appropriate width between the coal handling area and boundary wall of the industry towards the prominent wind direction will be provided with three months.