- NGT served notice, formed Committee- 

NGT (EZ) issued notice to OSPCB , CPCB , M/s Rimjhim Ispat Ltd. & others  for violation of the Consent to Operate conditions and Central Pollution Control Board guidelines and continuously discharging untreated water into the Kisindha Nallah and is also causing air pollution.

NGT constituted a Committee comprising of Senior Scientist, MoEF&CC, Integrated Regional Office,Bhubaneswar,Senior Scientist, Central Pollution Control Board,Senior Scientist, Odisha State Pollution Control Board & District Collector, Dhenkanal to  inspect the site in question and submit its Report on affidavit . 

The petitioners  represented by reputed Environmental Advocate Mr Sankar Pani submitted  that Rimjhim Ispat Ltd Dhenkanal is creating air pollution and discharging untreated water to the Kisindah Nallah in violation of the Consent to Operate Conditions and the guidelines of CPCB It is alleged that the steel plant is not collecting and treating the wastewater properly and discharging the wastewater directly to the Kisindah Nallah. The plant is allegedly dumping its solid wastes outside the unit premises and alongside the road which is being used by the villagers of Kurunti . Further the unit has not activated the online monitoring of Stack Emission and Waste Water Discharge to the centralised server of OSPCB and CPCB. The unit has not obtained authorisation under Hazardous Waste Management and Handling Rules - alleged the petitioners. The petitioners also alleged  that the company also illegally acquired forest land violating instructions of the VAN (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam . The unit has set up only two Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AAQMS) instead of the mandated four. It is also alleged that neither of the AAQMS installed by the company is operational. The company is also accused of extracting water illegally from Kisindha Nallah without obtaining necessary permissions from concerned authorities.