Expert Committee to Look Into Okhla Incinerator Violations – Delhi CM

ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
All India Kabadi Mazdoor Mahasangh
Okhla Anti-Incinerator Committee

PRESS NOTE

Expert Committee to Look Into Okhla Incinerator Violations – CM

Jindal’s Reply on Incinerator Technology Awaited-CPCB

NEW DELHI, June 17 – Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Friday that she has constituted an expert committee to look into legal and other violations by the waste-to-energy incinerator plant in the Okhla residential area as was pointed out by Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh. She was talking to a delegation of waste pickers and an environmental group who reiterated the violations of all the relevant laws.
Dikshit conveyed this at the meeting where Toxic Watch Alliance (TWA) convener, Gopal Krishna briefed her about the economic pitfalls of waste incineration besides environmental concerns that emerge from it. He also pointed out the violation of the Supreme Court order by the proposed waste to energy incinerators in Delhi.
Shashi Bhushan Pandit of the All India Kabadi Mazdoor Mahasangh which represents some 5000,000 ragpickers in Delhi submitted that waste to energy incinerators will destroy the livelihood of workers. Dikhshit assured him that Environment Secretary and Labour Minister will look into matter address the concerns.
This assurance of Dikshit after Jairam Ramesh’s visit to the plant and his order seeking a separate review by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) assumes significance. Ramesh warned the project proponent, Jindal Ecopolis (Timarpur-Okhla Municipal Solid Waste Management Company Pvt. Ltd (TOWMCL), 100 % subsidiary of O P Jindal Group’s Jindal ITF Urban Infrastructure Ltd.) that the plant will not get operational clearance until the board was fully satisfied on safety and regulatory issues.
After the first meeting convened by the CPCB on April 26, 2011 technical experts from the CPCB led by its chairman, CPCB, Prof. S.P. Gautam, it has emerged that although more than a month has passed but the CEO of Jindal Ecopolis (JE), Allard Nooyi has failed to provide technical details of the plant to the CPCB despite repeated reminders.
In a letter dated June 10, 2011 to the Okhla residents, Prof. Gautam said: “a submission of technical details by JE is still awaited. Therefore the second meeting could not take place in want of details from JE to deliberate the technology.”
Gautam added in the letter: “The CPCB has already sent reminders for submission of technology to the project proponents.”
In his written response to Prof. Gautam on June 13, 2011 Mr. Anant Trivedi, a resident of Eshwar Nagar, Okhla area called on him “order a stop to further construction until you are fully satisfied with the safety of the technology and are happy that the handling of the waste will not hazardous to health.”
“It kis not possible that they have designed a plant and almost finished constructing it without being in possession of technical details of what it is supposed to do,” Trivedi said.
Disposal of hazardous fly ash, and the spread of contaminants like dioxin and furans as well as mercury and other heavy metals were apprehensions voiced at the CPCB meeting.
Okhla communities falling within a two kilometer radius of the plant and protesting include those from New Friends Colony, Sukhdev Vihar, Jasola Vihar, Sarita Vihar, Kalkaji and Jamia Nagar.
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For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna2777@gmail.com
Arif Khan, General Secretary, Haji Colony RWA . Mobile: 9891519844
Anant Trivedi, RWA member, Ishwar Nagar. 011- 41672238, mobile: 9868502292
Vanya Joshi, Coordinator, Okhla Anti-Incineration Committee - 9873980694
Asha Arora, Co-coordinator, Okhla Anti-incineration Committee. Mobile-9711408421 .
Padma Agarwal Gen. Secy RWA Jasola Vihar - 9312212419
Praveen Shrivastava, RWA, Sarita Vihar - 9871039616
S. Khurana, Vice President Sukhdev Vihar RWA - 9810218150
Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com
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