Shillong, Dec 14: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices directing both the state and centre government to reply into alleged illegal setting up of several coke factories in Sutnga Elaka in East Jaintia Hills district within four weeks.

The petition was filed by one Pynbait Sutnga on October 25.

In its order passed on December 9, the NGT has issued notice to five parties that include Meghalaya government, Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), Deputy Commissioner, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). It also directed them to file counter affidavits within four weeks.

Pynbait in his petition alleged environmental pollution being caused due to operation of coke oven plants in the area of Sutnga Elaka.

The petition also alleged that several coke oven plants have been established and are operating in the East Jaintia Hills District in violation of environmental norms causing air and water pollution leading to health hazard of local people.

Counsel for the petitioner, Vivek Singh informed the NGT that some of these open coke ovens are within 100-300 meters of human habitation.

In support of his allegations, the Inspection Report of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board was also submitted along with the original application.

The counsel has also referred to the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board’s Notification dated 23.12.2020 which lays down the norms criteria for siting of Coke Plants with installed production capacity of less than 25,000 MTPA in the State of Meghalaya.

He further informed that for cluster, the units should be located within a distance of 1 kilometer from each other and the minimum distance from two clusters should be 5 kilometers.

The notification dated 23.12.2020 also mentioned that the distance from the main road of stand alone coke plants should be 500 meters, the distance from major stream/river/lakes should be at least 100 meters, the distance from the outer limit of village habitation should be 1 kilometer, and the distance from important public places such as hospitals, schools, tourist spots should be 1 kilometer.

“In our opinion, matter requires consideration,” the bench said.

Meanwhile, the Environment Co-ordination Committee (ECC) in a statement also sends a strong message to state government that this is only the start of legal proceeding and there will many more to come into light’

It also said that in the near future, the ECC will even seek the intervention from the income tax department.

“As per documents available with the ECC, there are hundred crores of money evade taxes under the shadow of the local tribal by the non tribal. To mention there are 41 coke plants in the district alone owned by the non-tribal,” the statement said.

The ECC said that it also found there was no proper verification/scrutinized by the Single Window Agency before granting SWA approval to the project proponents of the coke plants.

“There was random and irregularity issuance of SWA approvals by the Department of Commerce and industries,” it said while threatening to even move the Supreme Court in the near future.