'Core group' to finalise fly ash utilisation plan

The Orissa government has constituted a ‘Core group’ to finalise an action plan and operational strategy for efficient and optimum utilisation of fly ash. The 17 member group is headed by the industries secretary and the director of industries (DI) of the Orissa government is the member convener.

The other members include secretaries in the departments of agriculture, steel and mines, energy, managing director of the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation (Ipicol), managing director of Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), Chairman, Orissa State Pollution Control board (OSPCB) and Dr. Arun Kumar, director, Development Alternative among others.

Similarly, the government has also constituted the District Level Core Group Committee for the districts of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Angul, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Sundergarh for efficient and optimum utilisation of fly ash, official sources said. The district level committee, headed by the collector of the concerned district, will have representatives from OSPCB, science and technology department, Ipicol, local industries association, deputy director (mines) and deputy director (agriculture) among others. The mandate of the district level committee include assessment of the current generation and utilisation of flyash in the district, identification of suitable uses of flyash, sensitization of stakeholders and drawing up of action plan for speedy utilization.

Sources said, about 14.9 million tonne of flyash is being generated from thermal and captive power plants (CPPs) in the state, out of which about 4.9 million tonne (32.86 percent) is being utilised.

The industrial units generating flyash include Nalco (mines and refinery complex, Damanjodi), Bhushan Steels Ltd. (Meramundali), Bhushan Power and Steel (Lapanga, Dhenkanal), IFFCO Ltd. (Paradeep), Birla Tyres (Balasore), Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd, Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), Arati Steel Ltd., Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Sambalpur), IMFA (Choudwar) and JSL (Kalinganagar Industrial Complex, Duburi).

Though flyash is being utilised to fill up abandoned mines and manufacture cement and fly ash bricks at present, the general manager of DICs have been instructed to organise campaign, workshop and road shows in their districts to create awareness about the use of flyash.

Further, as per the provisions of the IPR -2007, industries utilising minimum 25 percent flyash as base raw material is treated as priority sector industries and will be eligible for availing incentives.

As a measure for promoting the use of flyash in the state, the government is seriously considering a proposal to ask the cement companies, who have signed MoUs with the Orissa government, for setting up of cement units to utilise fly ash. This may be made mandatory for them, sources added.