PPCB Fines Ropar Thermal Plant ₹5 Crore, Halts Operations

by The_unmuteenglish

Ropar, July 17: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has slapped a ₹5-crore fine on the Ropar thermal power plant and withdrawn its “consent to operate” over serious violations of environmental norms, effectively halting its operations unless the order is stayed.

In an order passed on July 7, following a hearing chaired by the PPCB Chairman, the plant authorities were directed to deposit the fine within 15 days. Without the board’s operational clearance, the plant is barred from procuring fresh coal supplies, sources confirmed.

The order stems from a complaint filed in January 2024 by Jagdeep Singh, a resident of Thalli village near the plant. He alleged that fly ash from the facility was settling on homes and agricultural fields in the area. A subsequent PPCB inspection on March 29 uncovered “glaring violations” of multiple environmental standards.

According to the board’s findings, fugitive dust emissions, deteriorated road conditions near ash dykes, and ash-laden roads without sprinklers or tire-wash systems were causing severe secondary pollution. The team noted an absence of pucca embankments and leachate treatment systems, raising the likelihood of ash slurry leaking into the Sutlej river.

The inspection also revealed that the plant had been discharging untreated waste directly into a common drain linked to the Sutlej. “There was no active chemical dosing in the neutralisation tank, and no oil-water separators were present where hazardous waste, including transformer and heavy fuel oil, was being handled,” the order stated.

Further discrepancies were found in the plant’s ash generation and utilisation data. Of the 10 lakh metric tonnes of ash produced annually, only 36 percent was being utilised—well below regulatory targets, especially for bottom ash and legacy ash.

The PPCB has directed the plant management to address all observations made during the March inspection. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for the second week of August.

In response, Ropar Thermal Plant Chief Engineer Harish Kumar Sharma said they would contest the board’s decision. “We will move the appellate authority in the next few days. We are complying with most of the requirements under the Act, but some issues raised are practically difficult to implement,” he said.

 

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