Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (RD/CN)

Udupi, Mar 17: Janajagrithi Samithi ® Nandikur in their media release stated that the union ministry of environment had refused to amend the environment clearance given to Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) to transport coal by railway, ash by trucks, and the use of sea water.
 
The Samithi has urged Konkan Railway to stop transporting the coal through its goods trains at the earliest in the absence of the amendment to the environment clearance to UPCL and also urged chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and district authorities to stop the use of trucks for ash dumping as well as pumping of sea water. 

The Samithi had brought to the notice of union ministry of environment the vulnerability of soil in the vicinity of UPCL power plant and potential contamination of the surface as well as the underground water resources and the consequent threat to human health and crops due to dumping of flying ash and use of sea water at the project site. 

It had contended that the studies conducted by NEERI, IISC, CES, TERI, and UNEP Constants as also the state of environment report by the state government clearly established that even with FGD the project emission will hit the Western Ghats and project be considered only after carrying out a study on the bearing capacity of the region.  Upon receiving the objections from the Samithi, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) withheld the recommendations.

The environment clearance earlier issued by EAC stipulates transportation of coal from NMPT to the project site by closed conveyor system with dust suppression mechanism, transportation of ash by pneumatic system through pipelines to the dumping areas and desalinated water for the plant.  The transportation of coal by closed conveyor is already is in use in Mumbai and Andhra besides KIOCL transporting iron from the Western Ghats to NMPT by a 55 km-long pipeline.