Jamshedpur, May 4: A public hearing on Thursday agreed for expansion of Tata Steel subsidiary ISWP but with a rider that trees should not be cut and pond should not be encroached.
This public hearing was organized by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. Its public hearing was held in the Tinplate Kali Temple complex of Jamshedpur. During this people kept their side. Jamshedpur SDO Piyush Sinha and Pratibha Priya of Pollution Board were present
The local people only said that there is no objection to the expansion of the company. But it should be ensured that it does not spread any kind of pollution. During this hearing, Pollution Board officer Pratibha Priya, SDO Jamshedpur Piyush Sinha and other officers were present. These people told that they want the local people to get employment if the company is set up. There, arrangements should be made at every level to control dust and smoke.
Regarding this, some people said that the ISWP is expanding, which is a good thing, but work should also be completed under CSR. During this, a demand was made to plant a tree at another place instead of the tree that was cut for the plant.
During this, it was said that the pond there has also been destroyed, which is wrong.
Incidentally, the proposed project of the company is to produce 0.5 million tonnes per year after expansion.
Public playgrounds and many company quarters will come under its purview. In such a situation, the residents of the area say that children’s sports and other functions were also organized in this ground, in such a situation the people of the area will be deprived of it. Along with increasing the scope, pollution will also increase in the area and apart from this many other problems will also arise, on which SDO Piyush Sinha said that all his points have been recorded, which the company and the concerned department should be informed about the problem.
Expansion against tribals and local’s interest: BJP leader
BJP’s Scheduled Tribe Morcha’s media in-charge Ram Singh Munda said that the expansion of the company is against the interests of the common people and the site where the company is being expanded belongs to Jemco Maidan where a forest is located, as well as a big pond (reservoir) is also located at the proposed site, due to which the geographical location of the said site is being destroyed by the company.
While the central government and the state government are promoting underground water storage by building reservoirs, on the other hand the company is destroying water sources for its own benefit, which is not in the interest of the general public.
Ram Singh Munda said that in this forest site, the place of religious worship of the tribal community is also being destroyed, due to expansion, the tribal community will face a lot of difficulty in offering prayers.
The company has also closed old public road coming from Telco number two gate to Salgajhudi railway gate before expansion. Due to which the general public is facing a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, the company should not set up an expanded plant at the proposed site.
ISWP not meeting CSR obligation
Former mukhiya Prakash Shandil, who was present in the public hearing, said that the company is not fulfilling its social responsibility under CSR. The work of development and public welfare currently being done by the company is not sufficient. Also, local people are not being given jobs in the company.
On the other hand, BJP leader Ram Mukhi said that there should be 100 percent employment of local tribal natives in the expanded plant, there should be no entry of outsiders in the company.
Social worker Bablu Karuva said that under CSR, the company should provide public facilities like electricity, water, health, education, roads, etc. within a radius of at least three kilometers.
The Public Hearing was for proposed installation of 0.5 MTPA combi Mill (Special Bar Quality and Wire Rod Mill) to be set up by The Indian Steel & Wire Products Limited (ISWP). The plant would come up within the existing JEMCO (Jamshedpur Engineering and Machine Manufacturing Company) land area, so no additional land acquisition required. In the design of the proposed project, latest state-of-art technology has been envisaged so as to meet the desired air emissions and noise level standards. Discharge of effluents beyond plant boundary will be negligible. Wastewater generated at the plant are treated in a proposed Common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and recycled.