By IANS,
Raipur : The issue of industrial pollution in and around this Chhattisgarh capital saw a heated debate in the assembly Thursday with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being cornered by the opposition Congress, which walked out, and even its own members.
Environment Minister Rajesh Munat had a tough time answering questions from Congress legislators and his own party members on what steps the government was taking to rescue hundreds of people from falling prey to skin cancer, heart ailments and other diseases due to unchecked industrial pollution.
BJP’s Devjibhai Patel joined Congress members in alleging that the situation was spiralling out of control as the government was not taking firms steps against polluting units.
The Congress, which has 39 members in a 90-member house, then walked out accusing Munat and the BJP government of defending industrialists and not being serious about tackling pollution.
Amid the uproar and the Congress demand for a public hearing for the residents of areas hit by pollution, Munat was heard saying: “Industrial clusters near Raipur are of the pre-1980s period; the present BJP government is taking steps to contain industrial pollution in and around Raipur and the situation is bound to improve in coming times.”
Referring to a recent report of the central government, he said Korba, Raipur and Durg were the most polluted cities of the state. Korba, which had a number of coal-fired plants, he added, ranked the fifth most polluted town in India.
Government officials say that some 145 units, mostly the sponge iron, based within a 20-km radius around Raipur have been identified as being “red category” industries because of their high pollution levels. Despite government efforts, these units do not use pollution control equipment resulting in serious health diseases to an estimated 1.5 million people in Raipur and its surrounding areas.