The Hindu Business Line : Govt move to put a price on fly ash termed retrograde

The move being contemplated by the Union Government to permit thermal power plants to sell fly ash to brick manufacturing units is highly retrograde, as it will not only hit the units, but also affect the environment badly, according to Dr N. Kalidas, Director of the Institute for Solid Waste Research and Ecological Balance (INSWAREB).

Dr Kalidas and his wife, Dr Bhanumathi, have been promoting the FaL-G technology for the past two decades and have encouraged setting up of numerous fly ash brick units in Andhra Pradesh and other States through INSWAREB, a private institute.

May increase hazard

He said the speech made by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, at the G 8 summit on transfer of green technologies to developing countries without high licensing fees was quite laudable, “but charity should begin at home”.

The Union Government was not encouraging green technologies such as FaL-G and instead putting impediments in the popularisation of such technologies. “There is a move, we have learnt, to allow thermal power plants to put a price on fly ash and this will make the fly ash brick units unviable. Now, fly ash is being given free or at a nominal charge to the brick units and this should be continued. These eco-friendly units are doing a great service to the nation by safe conversion of fly ash into bricks. Thereby, they are also helping in top soil conservation, as clay brick use is reduced,” he explained.

Putting a price

He regretted that without taking into account these factors the Union Government was contemplating giving permission to power plants to sell fly ash. “At present, only 25-30 per cent of fly ash is being lifted by the brick units. The rest is being stored by the power plants. Putting a price on fly ash will further reduce usage of the waste material and increase the environmental hazard,” he said.

Further, Dr Kalidas urged the Union Government and the State Government to remove all taxes on fly ash, such as the excise duty and the VAT, to make fly ash bricks competitive. He said 9,000 FaL-G brick units were functioning throughout the country, mainly in Andhra Pradesh, and the carbon credits were being obtained on a substantial scale for reduction in green house gas emissions.

More Stories on : Environment | Real Estate & Construction | Andhra Pradesh

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