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Dear Sir
We the undersigned habitants of Balagoda village of Balagoda Gram Panchyat of Joda Block of Kendujhar District would like to inform you that effluent from the Tailing Pond of M/S Steel Authority of India Ltd’s, Bolani Ore Mines has is affecting our agricultural fields of 25 acres and impacting 20 families. This serious impact on our livelihoods is in violation of the EIA notification, 2006. The details of violations are mentioned below for your reference.
In Expansion of Bolani Ore Mining Project of M/S Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) vide Environment Clearance Letter No. J 11015/470/2006-IA.II (M) dated 4th December, 2007, SAIL, Bolani Ore Mines was given authorization to expand of iron ore production from 3.44million tonnes per annum (million TPA) to 5.65million TPA. The total land area of the project is 3108.19ha, comprising of two leases namely Lease-I of 1321.45 ha and Lease-II of 1786.74 ha involving a total of 1932.3 ha of forest land in both the Leases put together. The Lease-I is reported to be mineralized area and Lease-II is non-mineralized area having the tailing pond over it.

According to the environment clearance letter,
“The entire waste generated from F&G Mining Blocks will be backfilled in the exhausted mine pits and there will be no external dumps formed in these areas. However, waste generated from D & Panposh Mining Blocks will be dumped in the earmarked areas. There will be one dump in D pit area and one in Panposh pit area with a maximum projected height of 12m and 20m respectively.”

We would like to bring to your attention that certain conditions of the Environmental Clearance of this expansion project of Bolani Ore Mining, are not being complied with by the SAIL, Bolani Ore Mines.These are:
“(viii) The project proponent shall ensure that no natural watercourse and/or water resources shall be obstructed due to any mining operations.
(xxi) Appropriate mitigative measures should be taken to prevent pollution of Karo River and Koina River in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board.
(xxvi) The decanted water from the tailing pond shall be re-circulated within the mine and there shall be zero discharge from the mine.”

We are attaching evidence of non-compliance of these conditions, which clearly shows that the waste water from tailing pond discharges to the agriculture field and also covers the aycut area of the reservoir. (Annexure 1: Kindly refer to the satellite image of four years showing the damage caused to the reservoir and the photographs showing the effluent discharge)

Due to failure in complying with these conditions, the top soil of agriculture field is now covered with waste water and this makes the total land unproductive. Our livelihoods and lives are now in critical condition. Waste water from tiling pond also discharges to Koina River and Karo River along with the streams of our villages in rainy season. We have also approached to District Collector & Govt Officials several times to address these issues but no action has been taken till date.

We therefore urge you to take immediate action and stop the effluent discharge, and pass directions to the company to clean up and restore the agriculture fields as it were before the damage was caused. We also request you to use the powers vested to you under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 (EPA 1986), as the violation of the EIA notification 2006 is a punishable offence under EPA 1986 and impose penalties on SAIL, Bolani Ore Mines.

Section 15(1) Whoever fails to comply with or contravenes any of the provisions of this Act, or the rules made or orders or directions issued thereunder, shall, in respect of each such failure or contravention, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both, and in case the failure or contravention continues, with additional fine which may extend to five thousand rupees for every day during which such failure or contravention continues after the conviction for the first such failure or contravention.

Unfortunately, without compliance of condition of expansion project, M/S Steel Authority of India Ltd, Bolani Ore Mines has further provided with Environment clearance on 21st December 2012, Vide Letter No.J-11015/396/2008-IA.II(M), Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forest. After long decades of non compliance of the above issues and its direct impact on our livelihood and live along with severe pollution, we would like to draw your attention to look into the matter and anticipating your early action on this regard. We need to revamp the present scenario of water pollution by which our fellow lands will be productive and our livelihoods will be enhanced.


With regards
Yours faithfully
Balagoda villagers