CUTTACK: After a gap of nearly four years, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has restarted hearing for fresh disposal of a petition which had raised the issue of continuous discharge of untreated effluent from VISA Steel Ltd’s plant at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district following a Supreme Court order.
Kalinga Nagar Paribesh Surakhya Samiti had filed the petition alleging discharge of untreated waste water from the plant into Ganda Nalla causing pollution. The discharge of untreated waste water also pollutes agriculture land that passes through the Ganda Nalla.
Initially, on August 9, 2019, NGT had directed Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to take stringent measures against VISA Steel Ltd, including closure. But when VISA Steel Ltd filed an appeal against the NGT order, the Supreme Court imposed an interim stay on operation of the order on September 27, 2019.
The interim stay was in force till the apex court set aside the NGT order and remanded the matter to the Tribunal for fresh disposal on March 20, 2023. The petition was listed afresh before NGT’s East Zone Bench in Kolkata on Monday. Petitioner counsel Sankar Prasad Pani informed the Bench OSPCB had conducted an inspection of the premises of VISA Steel Ltd on July 18.