NTPC & 3 pvt firms fined for fly ash violations in Chhattisgarh

Raigarh: The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) has imposed “environmental compensation fees” of more than Rs 50 lakh on the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and three private industries for irregularities in the transportation of fly ash and illegal dumping, an official said on Friday.

Ankur Sahu, regional officer of CECB, Raigarh, said the pollution levels were increasing due to the illegal dumping of fly ash on roadsides and vacant lands and falling of wet ash on the national highway during transportation. The CECB has imposed environmental compensation fee of Rs 30.90 lakh on NTPC (Lara), Rs 9.63 lakh on Jindal Power Limited (Tamnar), Rs 5.10 lakh on Ind Synergy Limited (Kotmar) and Rs 4.50 lakh on MSP Steel and Power Limited (Jamgaon), he said. There is pollution on National Highway-153 from Raigarh to Sarangarh due to the transportation of wet fly ash by NTPC, he said. “The CECB found that Jindal Power Limited was transporting wet fly ash from coalmines without covering it with tarpaulin,” Sahu said.