ROURKELA: Deputy Speaker and Talsara MLA Bhawani Shankar Bhoi on Wednesday shot off a letter to the Sundargarh administration seeking formation of special task forces (STFs) for effective enforcement against illegal dumping of fly ash across the district.
Raising serious concerns over environmental degradation due to illegal dumping of fly ash, the BJP MLA demanded immediate and stringent measures to curb the menace.
In a letter to the district collector, Bhoi said the administration should form three STFs for Sundargarh, Panposh and Bonai sub-divisions. Each STF should be adequately staffed with officers from the police administration, Forest, Revenue and Transport departments besides the Odisha State Pollution Control Board for round-the clock monitoring and enforcement.
The MLA also suggested that the STFs must be mandated to prevent illegal dumping of fly ash, conduct surprise raids at identified hotspots, seize and penalise errant vehicles and initiate criminal proceedings against habitual offenders. The STFs should submit weekly action taken report and a district-level monitoring mechanism be formed to ensure strict compliance, he said.
Bhoi said timely action and effective coordination among the departments concerned would go a long way in protecting the environment, safeguarding the interests of farmers and local residents, and also ensure strict adherence to environmental laws.
Earlier in November 2025, Bhoi had drawn the attention of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to the fly ash menace in Talsara assembly constituency. Sources said due to lack of effective enforcement, illegal dumping of fly ash continues across Sundargarh sub-division and has further spread to Panposh and Bonai.
Bhoi’s move comes in the backdrop of Sundargarh’s BJD MLA Jogesh Singh stopping vehicles engaged in overloading and unauthorised transportation of fly ash on state highway-10 at Kirei on Monday.
Singh claimed that as repeated requests to the district administration have fallen on deaf ears, he was forced to take to the streets to check the menace.
“Large-scale illegal dumping of fly ash on private agriculture land, government and forest land and along roads is causing environmental degradation by polluting soil, water and air. The public would be forced to take the law into their own hands if the administration failed to stop the illegal practice,” he warned.