Villagers of Taraikela in Jharsuguda district are up in arms against Bhusan Power and Steel Limited over construction of an ash pond in the village.
Earlier they had lodged a complaint with the regional office of Odisha State Pollution Control Board following which,a team of officials inspected the ash pond site on Sunday.
Located in Thelkuli under Sambalpur district,bordering Jharsuguda,the BPSL has acquired 15 acres in the village for construction of the ash pond and also secured permission for the purpose from the OSPCB.
The ash pond is located near the river Bheden and Saraswati Vidya Mandir School.As per norms,ash ponds need to be constructed far from human habitations and water bodies.However,this ash pond is being constructed just 200 meter from the school and 160 meter from the river.
The villagers apprehend that the dry ash can cause serious health hazards.
The opposition has put BPSL in a fix as it has done considerable work on the proposed ash pond.Moreover,with BPSL on expansion mode,construction of ash pond has become mandatory for it.If sources are to be believed,with villagers objecting to the construction,it has decided to acquire land for the purpose in neighboring Jharsuguda district.