The AMNS steel plant at Hazira is mindst of Controversy due to major ruckus amongst the local residents of Hazira and nearby areas. While the Environmental clearance is scheduled on Tuesday, the residents and environment activists have raise their voice against the ArcelorMittal-NipponSteel plant.
The residents have openly come out and submitted a memorandum to the district collector and demanded the cancellation of public hearing as the hearing is scheduled to take place in company premises, which is not acceptable by the residents too.
The residents claim that the plant is already polluting the natural resources like the sea, underground water levels along with flora and fauna of the area.
The residents claim that the plant is already polluting the natural resources like the sea, underground water levels along with flora and fauna of the area. The carcinogenic enzymes from the polluted water of the plant dissolve in water, which causes cancer and other deadly diseases.
ArcelorMittal-NipponSteel are now known as AMNS STEEL,after the take over at Hazira.The company has set out an environmental hearing for making changes in current plant.While Farmers, Environmentalist and local residents have opposed this hearing as it is scheduled inside the company premises.
The public hearing should be conducted in public place and not inside the company premises.
Jayesh Patel -A local leader from Farmer Association said, “the public hearing should be conducted in public place and not inside the company premises. So that the common man can raise their voice.”
In addition the GPCB has given the approval on the basis of Zero Discharge, which means the polluted water should be treated and only discharge, when no pollutants are present in it. But instead of following the guidelines of GPCB ,the company releases17MLD per day,which is 170lakh litres of water in the sea. While Central Pollution board has already objected this move and the GPCB officials have repeatedly serve the notice to AMNS.
In addition to it the land dispute is still not resolved, while 50 people from Hazira and Haada village have died due to cancer, due to pollutants in water and air by the AMNS plant revealed Thakorbhai Khalasi a local resident of Hazira.While the local residents also claim that the plant will not generate any employment opportunities but increase pollution due to the usage of Coal on large scale.
