HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has ordered the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) to conduct a fresh inspection of the Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS) and submit a new report, supported by an affidavit, within three weeks.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti passed this order in response to a PIL filed by Dasari Ramesh and another from Bhadradri Kothagudem district alleging non-compliance by KTPS with the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The petitioners claimed that the respondents, including the chairman and managing director of KTPS, were discharging abnormal sewage and trade effluents, such as ash, into the Karkavagu stream and Kinnerasani river. This, they argued, has caused significant damage to property and life and was in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.
The PCB had submitted a report on July 12, 2022, upon the High Court’s directions, stating that during an inspection, the sedimentation tank at KTPS was not operational, leading to the direct discharge of ash-mixed water into Karkavagu through a temporary gate. The KTPS officials justified this by stating it was an emergency measure to handle wastewater during the rainy season. However, this report was not supported by an affidavit.
Given these circumstances, the bench mandated another inspection to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. The fresh report must comprehensively address the issues raised and be duly supported by an affidavit to validate its findings.
BRS targets Ponnam
Meanwhile, BRS MLC Padi Koushik Reddy accused Minister Ponnam Prabhakar of colluding with transport officials and illegally earning `50 lakh daily through fly ash transportation from NTPC, Ramagundam, to Khammam district.
The MLC, along with party activists, obstructed trucks carrying fly ash without way bills in Huzurabad on Saturday. Stating that a single truck should transport 32 tonnes of fly ash, Koushik claimed that the trucks were found transporting over 80 tonnes per load.