NGO appeals Shah panel to probe environmental damage

City-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mother Earth has urged the national level illegal mining investigating agency Justice M B Shah Commission to probe the environmental damage caused by rampant mining in the state along with other rule violations.

It requested the probe panel to enquire about the standard and practices of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to measure the pollution levels in line with Goa, where the commission has just finished its investigation.

The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has recently revised the standards to measure pollution levels by including norms to check particulate matter (PM) of 10 and 2.5 micron in the state along with existing practice of measuring suspended particular matter, respirator particulate matter along with oxides of Nitrogen and Sulphur dioxide.

 

“You may please examine the status of OSPCB in this regard,” the NGO wrote to the commission which is expected to visit the state on December 7. In its three day long visit, the commission will visit several mines in Joda and Koira area and will examine the status of all functioning 188 iron ore and manganese mines in the state, check whether lessees have valid mining plans and also examine violations of mining and forest laws by the miners. The commission had previously sought several information from the state government regarding mining activity in the state. But not a single query was made about ecological damage caused by the mining.