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• With some central industries discharging their effluents into major rivers of the state, Odisha government has asked them to develop their waste water treatment facilities. This was stated by Forest and Environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra while replying a question in the Assembly. "The State Pollution Control Board has already served show cause notices to three central industrial units as their waste treatment facilities are not adequate," Mishra said. Of the 11 units, industries like Nilachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district, Rourkela Steel Plant in Sundergarh district and IFFCO at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district, have been issued show cause notice for not adhering to the pollution control norms of the SPCB, the minister said. While NINL and RSP discharge waste water in Brahmani river, IFFCO's effluents go in river Mahanadi, he said. This apart, the minister also admitted that the leakage in the ash ponds of Nalco and NTPC's thermal power generation units at Kanhia in Angul district have created pollution concerns frequently.

• On NTPC's frequent ash pond leakage, he said the central public sector undertaking (CPSU) had assured the state government to implement recommendations of a team of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela. Paradip MLA and former minister Damodar Rout raised question on drawing of Indian Oil Corporation Limited's pipe line from Haldia in West Bengal to Paradip in Odisha. Rout also wanted to know whether the government has any plan to undertake Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study of industries through independent body instead of accepting the reports submitted by them.

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