Key Highlights
- A legal notice has been served on the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) over alleged environmental violations at Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur plant.
- The notice seeks immediate cancellation of the plant’s Consent to Operate (CTO) and asks the board not to renew it beyond December 2026.
- It alleges non-compliance with conditions related to rehabilitation, air pollution control, material transportation and traffic management.
- The notice claims that certain mandatory conditions contained in earlier approvals were removed from the CTO issued on 17th December 2021.
- It also claims PM10 levels in the area reached 218 micrograms per cubic metre, against the cited standard of 100.
- The notice warns of a PIL before the Jharkhand High Court or Supreme Court if action is not initiated within 15 days.
Jamshedpur: A legal notice has been served on the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB), seeking cancellation of the Consent to Operate (CTO) granted to Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur plant over alleged violations of environmental and rehabilitation conditions. Advocate A K Srivastava issued the notice on 3rd October on behalf of Jamshedpur resident Reyaz Sharif. It has sought immediate cancellation of the existing CTO and a bar on its renewal beyond December 2026. The notice has also warned that a public interest litigation could be filed before the Jharkhand High Court or the Supreme Court if the board does not initiate action within 15 days.
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The notice alleges that the CTO issued on 17th December 2021, omitted some mandatory conditions contained in earlier approvals, particularly those related to rehabilitation. Referring to an NOC dated 1st April 2008, and a CTO dated 24th May 2012, it claims that progress reports on rehabilitation of affected areas were required to be submitted to the board every three months. According to the notice, the earlier conditions also provided for withdrawal of consent if rehabilitation was not completed within the stipulated period or if educational institutions and human settlements were adversely affected. These are allegations made in the notice and no response from Tata Steel or JSPCB was cited in the information available.
Air Pollution and Traffic Measures Also Questioned
The notice has also raised questions over compliance with pollution control and traffic management conditions. It says the plant was required to maintain round the clock air quality monitoring, keep emission-control equipment operational, transport the maximum possible quantity of material through railway wagons and implement a traffic decongestion plan. It alleges that measures such as conveyor based transportation and mechanised vacuum cleaning are not being adequately used for dust control. The notice further claims that PM10 concentration in the area touched 218 micrograms per cubic meter, more than twice the 100-microgram standard cited in the notice.
Rehabilitation and Land Issues Raised
The notice refers to Bari Maidan, nearby educational institutions and workers’ colonies while alleging violations related to expansion of the plant’s working area and the condition of “no additional land requirement”. It also claims that the process went ahead without public hearing or inviting objections from affected residents and that rehabilitation remains incomplete even after around 14 years. The complainant has asked JSPCB to enforce rehabilitation conditions, address issues concerning more than 200 acres of acquired land, take steps against air and noise pollution, and forward a report on the matter to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
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