Aditya Aluminium gets Odisha pollution watchdog's notice

The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has issued a show cause notice to Aditya Aluminium, asking it why the plant should not be shut for not adhering to the pollution control measures, a board official said on Sunday.

The company, which has set up an aluminium smelter plant, having capacity of .36 MTPA and a thermal power plant (5X150 Mw), has been asked to reply to the notice within 15 days, the official added.

"Why consent to operate, already granted for 2015-16 in favour of your plant, shall not be revoked and closure direction shall not be issued for the above violations and appropriate legal action shall not be issued against your unit," said the notice issued to the Chief Operating Officer of Aditya Aluminium.

During a surprise inspection by a team of the board, it was found that untreated effluent with high oil and grease content has been discharged to outside during the monsoon.

"There was a distinct mark of oil and grease sticking on vegetation alongside the kuchha drains carrying untreated effluent," it said.

The board also said that construction of permanent ash pond was not made ready though a substantial time had passed and it seemed that it might not be commissioned within a short time.

The board has pointed out that the company has not obtained consent to establish ash disposal facility inside the industrial complex.

While the board allowed the company to fill up a patch of 30 acres of low-lying area with ash, the patch of land has been converted into an organised ash mound having features like dykes and full-fledged heavy earth moving machines as required for dry disposal of ash, the letter added.