NAGPUR: Taking serious cognisance of pollution due to fly ash at Koradi and Kamptee, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday sternly asked Mahagenco and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to file detailed affidavits on their efforts to dispose it of within two weeks.
A division bench comprising justices Sharad Bobde and MN Gilani was hearing a suo motu plea based on a media report highlighting plight of people living in nearby areas of Koradi and Kamptee due to fly ash emitted from Koradi Thermal Power Station. The report stated it was proving hazardous for citizens’ health and environment.
The state energy, environment and health secretaries, Union environment secretary, Nagpur collector, chief general manager of KTPS, and MPCB at Mumbai and Nagpur were made respondents in the PIL. Akshay Naik has been appointed amicus curiae.
The media report published in January pointed out that fly ash from KTPS is carelessly dumped into Kolar river which carries it to the much larger Kanhan river, a water supply source for the city.
The PIL drafted by the amicus curiae demanded that pollution of Kanhan river should be brought to the lowest level by initiating concrete measures. It prayed for directives to the respondents to be restrained from discharging/dumping fly ash slurry in the two rivers and other water sources of the region.
(Times of India)
