Environmentalists and Moran students react to PCBA's U-turn

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: Following the overnight move by the Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) of lifting the closure notice that was served to Oil India Limited (OIL), Arunjyoti Moran, the president of All Moran Students' Union (AMSU), reacting sharply to it and demanded immediate removal of the PCBA chairman, member secretary and Chief Environmental Engineer from their respective posts while justifying that the OIL should have sought redress from the court as contemplated instead of mere submitting affidavit to PCBA.

The U-turn was shocking and surprising to several environmentalists at a time when Baghjan and its periphery are under the grip of severe environmental disaster following oil well blowout and subsequent fire.

Deeply disturbed by the development, Moran told The Sentinel that such an act on the part of PCBA would cast a wider ramification on all industries in the State and such withdrawal would encourage other polluting industries to defy and overrule PCB norms.

The press release issued by the OIL on June 22 stated, "The Chairman PCBA 'spoke' to CMD OIL today (June 22) and the closure notice is in the process of being lifted. This should have been the other way round according to an environmentalist as PCBA served notice on OIL and not vice versa. A source further informed that the PCBA might have been cornered by the OIL after it served the notice as PCBA was ostensibly 'monitoring' the drilling operation at Baghjan since 2001.

The Member Secretary (i/c) of PCBA in a letter to the Resident Chief Executive (RCE) of OIL on June 22 vide noWB/DIB/T-396/08-09/288/147 stated that the closure notice served to M/s OIL vide noWB/DIB/T-396/08-09/243 of 19.6.2020 has been withdrawn in pursuance of the Affidavit submitted by OIL vide no S&E/E/121/814 of 22.6.2020 along with affidavits with five conditions. The conditions are the OIL will submit a detailed time-bound Environmental Management Plan within 15 days from the date of issue of the letter for environmental mitigation and extinguishing of fire at the Baghjan oilfield. They have to 'apply for Consent to Operate (CTO)' under Section 25 of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Section 21 of Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981 separately for each and every drilling, production and other installations along with Environmental Management Plan and other requisite documents within one month. They will have to submit all the details of hazardous waste generated, disposed and treatment facilities as per the Hazardous & other Waste (Management & Trans-boundary Movement) Rules 2016. They will have to apply for authorization under E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and finally, they will have to submit the return as per Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 within July 31, 2020.

The pertinent point is even as the oil giant had been operating in the area without fulfilling environmental norms since 2001, as cited in the closure notice, the PCBA has now facilitated the OIL to fulfil the criteria with retrospective effect after this mishap, pointed out an environmentalist.

Meanwhile, AMSU president Arunjyoti Moran categorically stated that they would not permit any drilling operation in any location in Baghjan and would continue their blockade.

Also watch: Evening Bulletin | 23rd June, 2020