PANAJI
With numerous complaints by the locals going unheard, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has finally pitched in with directions to the government to constitute a Joint Committee to examine pollution emitted from a factory in Curtorim.
This decision follows 221 instances of pollution attributed to particle emissions from Goa Carbon Ltd within a single year from January 2023 to January 2024.
The NGT has tasked the Committee with on-site inspections including consent to operate with a member from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the Chief Secretary, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to be a mandatory part of the team. The scrutiny comes at a time when the company's shares have been on a sharp upward trend for three months.
“We deem it appropriate to constitute a Joint Committee comprising one member each of GSPCB, CS and MoEF&CC…. After visiting the spot, the Joint Committee will submit a report as to whether Carbon Ltd has been granted all the consents which were required to be obtained for setting up the Industry and whether the conditions laid down therein have been complied with by them or not,” the four-page-order by Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni states.
If any non-compliance issues arise on the part of the company, the report will recommend imposing Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC) as well as corrective measures. This report has to be submitted to the Bench within one month.
The Scheduled Tribe Association of Sao Jose De Areal, the Social Justice Forum of Sao Jose De Areal, and the Ralloi Residents Welfare Association of Sao Jose De Areal had petitioned the NGT for urgent relief due to hazardous emissions reaching alarming levels.
In their petition, they submitted that the landlocked village, home to around 3000 families, has been subjected to toxic emissions for four decades. “Goa Carbon Ltd has been operating a calcination plant with a capacity of 3,08,000 TPA (843.83 TPD) in our village for four decades, emitting toxic and impermissible effluent fumes, resulting in air pollution detrimental to the health of residents. Complaints about pollution from this industry have been raised by villagers since its inception in 1980,” the petition states.
During the period from January 2023 to January 2024, emissions from the company exceeded 150 mg/Nm3, posing significant environmental and health risks to nearby residents.
The petitioners have sought a directive to the GSPCB to ensure either the permanent closure or relocation of the unit and to prohibit the GSPCB from renewing the Consent to Operate or granting any subsequent consents. The NGT has thus also issued notices to all the respondents, returnable within four weeks.
