A plea has been filed by the Protection of Environment and Public Service Committee against Indian Rayon, a unit of Aditya Birla Group in accordance with violation of environmental norms at Junagarh-Veraval, Gir Somnath district in Gujrat. The plea has also stated that the company is damaging the Deveka river at Gir Somnath and the hazardous, as well as poisonous chemicals being discharged from the company, is also affecting the sea as well as the river at high risk.
It has also derived from the plea that the company was generating electricity with the permission of Environmental Clearance on June 22, 2015, despite the opposition of the inhabitants residing in that area. There has been a dumping yard of fly ashes in public places which is creating air pollution by the company, the plea strongly stated.
A bench headed by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel formed a committee consisting members of the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, Gujrat Coastal Zone Management, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, and District Magistrate of Gir Somnath has been formed on September 11, 2020, to inspect the issue.
The bench clarified that though the plea has been filed for a longer time, it was necessary to form an individual committee to inspect the latest updates and developments hereby. The committee stated that they have to visit the plant and the disposal site of the company within a month and finalize its report for submission within three months at the Tribunal after a complete inspection of relevant aspects and necessary adequate parameters.
There have been numerous cases being filed in the past against these Industrial and Corporate organizations for the violation of Environmental norms and regulations, some of them got a clean chit, whereas, many cases are still pending for a verdict. This plea has caught and brought the attention as well as consideration of many Environment activists who all are waiting for a supportive verdict for the benefits and sustainability of the environment of the particular area. Everyone is eyeing on the report to be submitted by the committee after three months and expecting a suitable outcome from the report for the prevention of such pollution causing damage to the Environment.
