Pollution Board asks Sesa Goa to stop coke oven plant operations

After massive protests by the locals, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has asked Sesa Goa Ltd to stop all activities at its coke oven unit at Navelim in Bicholim taluka, 40 km from here.

The locals held a day-long bandh yesterday protesting against the increasing pollution allegedly caused by the coke oven plant at Navelim.

The villagers complained about black soot emanating from the plant, which has entered their water sources and even houses.

GSPCB Member Secretary Lavinsons Martin last evening issued orders to Sesa Goa Ltd’s Metcocke division to stop all activities within 48 hours, until further orders.

The notice mentions that the second battery of the coke oven plant is under pre-heating and officials of Sesa Goa present during the inspection have admitted that there was soot generation due to misfiring of high-capacity diesel burners.

The same soot, the notice reads, was dispersed through the stack and had deposited in the nearby residential areas of Navelim.

The GSPCB has also noticed that Sesa Goa has not carried out ambient air quality monitoring since June 2012.

“The continuous ambient air monitoring station has not yet been commissioned,” the notice reads.

Martins said the conditions stipulated in the consent to operate orders have not been adhered to. So also it is not clear if the chief inspector of factories and boilers was informed about the operation of the unit.

The pollution control board has asked the company to take the necessary precautions by carrying out a root cause analysis for the misfiring of the burners during pre-heating of the coke oven and submit preventive measures they propose to undertake to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.

The Directorate of Factories and Boilers, the State-run department, has been directed to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the incident and submit a report within seven days to the Pollution Control Board.

COMMENT NOW