Talcher: Even though wearing masks inside homes is desirable under the Covid protocol, the practice has been forced upon people in Talcher area of Angul district.
The residents of this industrial town are doing so not because of Covid-19, but because of severe air pollution. Talcher’s air pollution problem is as old as the coal industries here.
The central and state governments get hundreds of crores of revenue from this town. But, when it comes to taking measures to control air pollution, they maintain a stoic silence.
That apart, neither the industrial houses engaged in coal production nor those firms generating thermal power take steps to give the town residents a clean atmosphere.
Owning to this, air, water and soil of this town have been polluted to a great extent. The residents alleged that thousands of coal-laden trucks ply on NH-53 which passes through the town.
These vehicles make the matter worse. But steps like spraying water are hardly taken. Similarly, no step is being taken to repair the national highway which is dotted with craters and potholes.
Had the industrial houses properly managed the coal ash, the situation would have been different. A thick blanket of coal dust has enveloped the entire town.
While dust in the air makes it difficult for people to commute on roads in summer, slushy roads in rainy season give commuters a nightmarish experience.
Air pollution has not only affected the productivity of the farmlands but has polluted the water sources. Having been forced to live in such a polluted atmosphere, over half of the population suffer from respiratory problems.
Many have lost their lives. Owing to this, most of the residents are forced into wearing masks even when they are inside their homes.
What irks the people here is that the local administration, pollution control board and the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) are not taking any steps to solve the problem. The elected leaders also remain silent on this issue.
At a meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary, Finance at Bhubaneswar May 16, 2013, it was decided to set up a Bio Park each in Angul, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Sukinda.
But the decision has not been translated into reality thanks to lack of will power on the part of the administration and elected leaders. With nothing being done to check the problem, a kind of resentment is brewing among the residents.
“The administrative officers are not discharging their duties properly. Even though the issue has been taken up with the administration and political leaders on several occasions, nothing has been done in this regard. If the problem is not solved at the earliest, the situation will be serious in coming days,” observed Nimain Pradhan, an educationist.
Chairperson, Pragati, Jyotirmayee Sahu said diseases like TB, asthma, bronchitis have started claiming lives. Yet, the district administration, political leaders, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board and the authorities of industrial houses are not taking steps.
PNN