PARADIP: The district administration on Friday conducted a public hearing for the proposed 4.5 MTPA captive riverine jetty of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) which will come up on Mahanadi riverbank at Udayabata.
Paradip ADM Kanhu Charan Dhir presided over the meeting and the regional officer of Odisha State Pollution Control Board PC Behera conducted the hearing. Around 700 people including members of the local community participated in the meeting. A total of 80 community representatives spoke on the occasion of whom 75 extended support to the project.
Environment head of AM/NS India, Odisha operations Akash Mohapatra spoke about the measures to be implemented to minimise the impact on environment. He assured that the best technology will be deployed for safeguarding of the environment and protection of the riverbank.
AM/NS India plans the captive riverine jetty at Paradip to minimise air pollution caused by road transport. The proposed barge jetty would be constructed on the vacant land having waterfront of about 600 metre. Since the project will come up near the existing pellet plant and 60 MW thermal power plant, iron ore pellets and raw materials would be transported from the jetty to the port and vice versa, he added. On the day, a group of people staged protest by showing placards at the public hearing venue. The agitators claimed that the project will cause water pollution in the area.