Green tribunal orders Kota adminstration to remove fly ash from Nanta pond, restore it

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Kota district administration to remove fly ash from Nanta pond near Kota Thermal Power Station (KTPS) and restore the water pond under the Mukhyamantri Jal Swawlamban Yojana.

The central zone bench of the tribunal, which operates from Bhopal, has also instructed the district administration to remove the control of mafia over old fly ash stocks in Kota and ensure availability of fly ash from the stocks to brick manufacturers.

While hearing the applications of environmentalists and fly ash brick manufacturers of Kota, the tribunal, in its order dated on July 11 this year, stated that NGT and notifications of Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) and Rajasthan government in the past had instructed for encouraging use of fly ash in brick manufacturing

The petitioners, especially the fly ash brick manufacturers, had complained to the tribunal that they were not getting fly ash from Kota’s old fly ash stocks in required quantities, while the mafia was making a killing by selling the fly ash.

After hearing the case, the NGT division bench comprising Justice Dalip Singh and Dr SS Garbyal directed the Kota district collector to depute a sub-divisional officer to get in touch with the KTPS authorities over the issue. The bench also asked the district collector to depute an officer from the food and civil supply department and another from the revenue department to ensure that the brick manufacturers get required quantity of fly ash freeof-cost, as provided under the notification of the MoEF.

The tribunal has also instructed the district collector to inform about progress in the case.

Sanjay Sharma, vice president of Paryavaran Industrial Area where fly ash is manufactured, said that the ash stocks in Kota should be freed from mafia control. “Fly ash brick manufacturers are not able to derive sufficient fly ash from the daily production at the KTPS plant since the power generation frequency of KTPS has reduced for last one year. So, the fly ash brick manufacturers have to depend on the old stocks of fly ash,” he said.

Environmental and a litigant in the case, Tapeshwar Singh Bhati said that red bricks are manufactured from top soil and once eroded the top soil takes several hundred years to replenish.

“Fly ash brick manufacturing should be promoted to save top soil in environment,” Bhati said.

Kota district collector Rohit Gupta said that a three-member committee has been formed for compliance of the NGT orders.