Cuttack: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought clarification from Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) on the discrepancy between the findings of a joint committee and report of the assistant director of factories and boilers, Keonjhar zone, on the operation of a cold storage unit in Mayurbhanj district’s Baripada town.
NGT’s east zone bench issued the direction while hearing a petition alleging the cold storage unit was operating without adequate safety measures. Sapan Kumar Ghosh, a resident, filed the petition. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy represented the petitioner.
Earlier, the tribunal constituted a joint inspection committee to ascertain the veracity of allegations and submit a report. The committee’s report, submitted along with an affidavit filed by Mayurbhanj collector Hemakanta Say, was placed before NGT on Wednesday.
The committee’s report mentioned the allegation made by the applicant regarding the leakage of ammonia gas from the unit was untrue and not based on facts.
Taking the report on record, the bench of B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) observed, “This finding of the committee is prima facie contradictory to the report of the assistant director of factories and boilers, Keonjhar zone, dated April 17, 2023, which already finds mention in the order of this tribunal dated July 25, 2024.”
“We, therefore, grant the Odisha State Pollution Control Board four weeks’ time for filing a counter-affidavit along with an action taken report explaining this discrepancy and what action was taken with reference to the report of the assistant director of factories and boilers, Keonjhar zone, in his inspection report dated April 17, 2023,” the bench ordered and fixed Jan 30 for further consideration of the matter.
The official’s report pointed out that neither portable nor online sensors were provided near the receiver and connected pipelines, while the outlet of the safety valve was not put inside the water source to restrict the adverse effect of ammonia.
While the ammonia receiver along with connected pipelines was found not tested by a competent person duly approved by the chief inspector of factories, self-containing breathing apparatus, nose masks, among others, were also found not provided for the safety of workers, particularly at the time of emergency, the report said.