With a significant growth in the utilisation of fly ash during the last two years, the State Government has decided to conduct a third party validation of compliance to its directives on the use of fly ash and blast furnace slag.
As per latest reports, utilisation of fly ash during 2012-13 was more than 62 per cent.Around 125.30 million tons of fly ash were generated during 2012-13 by 31 industries in the state out of which 62.42 million tons (62.42 per cent) were used for different purposes.
While 39.31 per cent was utilised in land filling, 9.42 per cent was used in embankment and dyke raising, 3.98 per cent in brick manufacturing, 4.13 per cent by industries and 5.59 per cent for other miscellaneous purposes.
Presiding over the high level committee meeting on utilisation of fly ash here Chief Secretary J K Mohapatra asked MS&ME Department to promote entrepreneurs for setting up modern fly ash brick manufacturing units by way of providing incentives and assistance.
Earlier, the Government had asked the Public Sector Units, more particularly thermal power generating units, to promote large scale fly ash brick making on PPP mode with other entrepreneurs.“Odisha Power Generation Company (OPGC) is producing fly ash bricks for its own consumption. It has been decided that all civil works in OPGC’s expansion programme will be done though fly ash bricks,” Energy Secretary P K Jena said. Besides, OPGC is promoting local entrepreneurs for manufacturing of fly ash bricks, he added.
Jena, who is also the Special Secretary of PPP Cell of Planning & Coordination Department, was asked to work out a model PPP plan for manufacturing of ash bricks.Senior officers of the Works Department opined that the fly ash brick manufacturing units will be asked to confirm to BIS specifications so that same could be used in construction of Government buildings.
The Government will examine the possibilities of extending capital and interest subsidy, and land at subsidised date for setting up brick manufacturing industries.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has already organised workshops on fly ash management and utilisation at Talcher and Bhubaneswar. It was decided that three more workshops will be organised where fly ash generation is high.