Bhushan Group told to close 10 sponge iron units

The Orissa State Pollution Control Board has issued closure notice to 10 sponge iron units of the Bhushan Group on the charge of violating pollution control norms, official sources said.

Bhushan Steel Ltd’s plant at Meramandali in Dhenkanal district has been directed to close down operation of six of eight 500 tonne per day capacity klins, the coke oven plant and oxygen plant for not conforming to pollution control norms as prescribed by the Pollution Control Board, the sources said.

The closure direction would remain in force till the company followed all the pollution control systems prescribed by the Board, OSPCB’s Member Secretary, Mr Siddhant Das, said.

The company, he said, had also been asked to stop construction work of the phase-III expansion for a 5.6 MTPA plant till all the statutory clearances were obtained.

The company could operate other installations including the blast furnace, he said.

Senior company officials were not immediately available for comment.

In similar action against Bhushan Power & Steel’s plant at Rengali in Sambalpur district, the board also directed it to close down operation of four of the eight klins.

Earlier, the board had issued notice to over two dozen sponge iron plants to close down on the charge of air and water pollution in different districts.