MPCB orders closure of Shilpa Steel and Power Ltd

 

 

 

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued closure notice to Shilpa Steel and Power Ltd. for discharging hazardous liquid waste material into Wena River in Butibori on Monday. MPCB issued the closure direction under Section 33A of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Section 31A of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 for polluting the water body. Along with this, MPCB directed Maharashtra State Eletricity Distribution Co. Ltd (MSEDCL) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to disconnect the electricity and water supply of the company.

 

Acting swiftly on the direction, both authorities have disconnected the water and electricity supply of the company. It may be mentioned that MPCB had received a phone call from MIDC Police Station on June 26 that two tankers having capacity of 30,000 Litre each were about to discharge hazardous liquid waste material into the local nullah on Butibori-Chandrapur Highway near Kathiyawadi Dhaba. Accordingly, police filed an FIR against the driver of two tankers RJ-09-GC-2317 and MH-40-AK-4391. MIDC Police seized both tankers while the drivers were absconding. Thereafter, MPCB officials conducted a joint inspection in which a police officer stated that the two tankers were coming from Shilpa Steel and Power Ltd, MIDC, Butibori on June 25.

 

The joint team found that the field pH value of tanker effluent is 1.0 which is highly acidic and the tanker filled up with spent acid generated from the pickling unit. The acidic effluent was accumulated in the local nulla which is merging with Wena river. After the joint inspection, A M Kare, Regional Offier, MPCB directed to the concerning authorities to discontinue the water and electricity supply of the company for spreading pollution in water body under the provisions of Section 33A of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Section 31A of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. As per the sources, the police department, in 2016, imposed Rs 10 lakh bank guarantee and disconnected water and electricity connections of the company for discharging effluent in Wena river.