SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Oct 23: East Singhbhum MLA cum prominent environmentalist Saryu Roy has said that the air pollution in Jharkhand is alarming and it would create major health problems if the government failed to take action timely.
Roy, who was addressing a seminar on air pollution jointly organized by ‘Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, New Delhi’ and ‘Yuganter Bharti, Ranchi’ at Sonotel, Saraidhela on Saturday, said that due to lack of air pollution monitoring machines in the state, the situation is getting serious day by day as the government agency has no record of data status.
“It is a matter of concern that the Real-Time Air Quality Index for reading air pollution in Jharkhand is installed only in Dhanbad district. Though the Pollution Control Board (PCB) has installed it in Ranchi too, it is in the guest house of the forest department and not at the place in the city where the air pollution exists,” said Saryu Roy.
Saryu Roy, who had launched the Clean Damodar River campaign, said the air pollution problem prevails across the country. There are 4000 cities in India but Real-Time Air Quality Index is installed in 300 cities only.
Taking a dig at the function of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Saryu Roy said that the pollution monitoring body is interested in only one work of giving Consent of Operating (COT) to industry. “For last five years, I have been demanding a number of cases filed against environment violators and action taken against them but pollution board officials have no record,” he said.
Roy said that the SPCB secretary has to ensure implementation of the Pollution Act and its proper monitoring in the interest of public health but it seems he has no interest in it.
“For the last five years, I have been requesting the state government to install Real Time Air Quality Index in maximum cities in the state where the pollution level is dangerous for the health of people but of no avail,” he added.
He said the seminar has been organized to inform people so that they lodge complaints with the Supreme Court or National Green Tribunal (NGT) if environmental degradation is being done in their region.
