Sobhandeb seeks engineers' help to check factory emissions

Kolkata: State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Sunday urged engineers of his department to come up with new technologies for reducing the effects of pollution caused by emission of harmful gases from factories across the state.

"The time has come when we should all work together to bring down the effect of pollution caused by harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide. Technological upgradation is the need of the hour to reduce carbon emission. You, being engineers, should come up with such solutions or suggestions on how can we reduce pollution in factories and thermal power plants across the state," said state Power and Non Conventional Energy minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay addressing a seminar on Environment and Safety of Thermal Power Plant organised by West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) Energy Engineers Association.

The minister said the department was trying to embrace a new technology to cut down the effect of pollution at its thermal power plant at Sagardighi in Murshidabad. "We are modernising three of our thermal power units at Kolaghat," the minister said. It may be mentioned that Kolaghat Thermal Power Station in East Midnapore district plunged into darkness for some time on October 25 after a 400 KV transformer suddenly malfunctioned. The incident took place at the time when heavy rain accompanied by thundershowers lashed the district. He said some sponge iron units in the state have been witnessing maximum pollution, which is causing health problems among the employees working in these units.