Cuttack: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a fresh inspection of a fish meal and scrap fish processing unit at Tundura in Balasore district after refusing to consider a report submitted by the joint committee constituted by it as the facility was not functioning during a field visit.NGT’s east zone bench in Kolkata was hearing a petition seeking intervention against pollution caused due to release of untreated water by the unit into the sea after washing huge quantities of rotten scrap fish.Balasore collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas submitted an affidavit along with the inspection report.In its May 22 order, the bench comprising Sudhir Agarwal (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member), said, “We have gone through the report and find that inspection was carried out by the joint committee when the unit was not functional. Therefore, the facts stated in the petition obviously could not have been verified since the unit was non-functional.”Accordingly, the bench ordered a fresh inspection on a date “when the unit is functional” and submission of the report within six weeks.The joint committee conducted the inspection on May 2 when the unit was not in operation due to the fishing ban from April 15 to June 14 to protect the breeding stock. The unit will start functioning after June 14.The bench scheduled further hearing on the petition on Aug 5. Bipin Bihari Das, resident of a nearby locality, filed the petition. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy appeared on the petitioner’s behalf in virtual mode.On April 17, NGT constituted the committee comprising regional director of Central Ground Water Board (Bhubaneswar), senior scientists of Central Pollution Control Board and Odisha State Pollution Control Board and collector (Balasore) or his representative not below the rank of additional district magistrate. The collector was appointed nodal officer for all logistic purposes and for filing the committee’s report on affidavit.According to the petition, the factory, which processes 15,800 metric tonnes of fish per annum, has been operating since 2023 on the banks of a natural creek known as Kantachira river which connects the green fields with the Orissa coast canal and Bay of Bengal. The promoters are allegedly releasing untreated water into the sea through the river after washing rotten scrap fish, it alleged.Kantachira river is the only way to drain rain water of around 20-25 gram panchayats into the sea as there is no river or large creek from Soro to Remuna for around 30 km. Besides, rain water from Sua Shari mountain in Soro to Swarnachuda mountain in Nilagiri passes through the river.It is a catchment area encompassing densely populated Barunasing, Maharajpur, Kuligan, Srijung, Tundra, Inchudi and Rasalpur gram panchayats, the petition said.