The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Centre and State on the establishment of a common hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility at Patarapada in Parjang block of Dhenkanal district.
Acting on a petition, the NGT’s eastern zone bench in Kolkata issued notices to the secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, additional chief secretary, Forest and Environment department, additional chief secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management department, Dhenkanal collector, Divisional Forest Officer, MD, IDCO and MD, Western Integrated Waste Management Facility Private Ltd.
The petition sought for NGT’s intervention against the establishment of a project which Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) was facilitating for Western Integrated Waste Management Facility Pvt Ltd by illegal way of diversion of forest land.
The lease granted in favour of IDCO and subsequent transfer to Western Integrated Waste Management Facility Pvt Ltd is liable to be held and declared for want of forest clearance, according to the petition. The petition further maintained that the elephant pathway crosses through the project site. Therefore, the project will obstruct the movement of elephants leading to more man-elephant conflicts in the region, it added.