From the Desk of Editor:

Dr. PK Mahapatra, Rourkela Regional Officer of State Pollution Control Board was captured by Vigilance team while travelling from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar. Cash worth Rs. 175,000/- (Rupees One Lac Seventy Five Thousand) was seized from him during the arrest. According to the source, he was to take retirement next year.  His house at Sundarpada was also raided at the same time. At the same time Er. Narottam Behera, Balasore Regional Officer of  State Pollution Control Board was too arrested by the vigilance team near Tangi with cash of Rs. 89000/- (Rupees Eighty Nine Thousand). Till now vigilance team has seized Rs. 9,70000/- from the house of Balasore RO Narottam Behera. As per the source, vigilance has received lot of complaints against both RO’s earlier in this regard. All the details yet to be revealed by the Vigilance Department of Odisha.

Now the question is on what basis Odisha State Pollution Control Board tops list on Transparency Index rating????

With so many numbers of vigilance raids & arrests in last 3 years how come the OSPCB comes in Transparency Index rating?

Government calls them as environmental protectors but these protectors have negotiated with the industries and have polluted the environment to the full extent. Bribery is at its highest stage because of the such self-interest officials. They have become parasites for the society.

According to the source one of the company named SJ Environmental Solutions has created a good lobby with the higher management of OSPCB for installation of ETP plants at most of the Rice Mill Industries, Hotels, Country Liquor Manufacturing Plants within Odisha. These industry owners are pressurized to install SJ Environmental ETP machines at their industry to get the Consent to Operate license else they will be rejected. Even to obtain Consent to Establish & Consent to Operate from Pollution Control Board the industries has to pay Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 2,50,000 under the table apart from the prescribed fees to the Pollution Control Board officials. On interviewing few Industries the industry officials says that they are forced to install Pollution Control Board choice company’s ETP, STP at the their industry. It is said that SJ Environmental Solutions company is cabinet minister backed and due to it all the ETP, STP orders will be given to them. Regional Offices like Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Rayagada, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack favors a lot to this company. At the same time company take good care of the OSPCB Officials from top to bottom within the state. A survey report says that more than 90% Rice Mills have installed ETP of SJ Environmental Solutions and these ETP’s have failed to deliver the committed water parameter prescribed guidelines by the CPCB & OSPCB. Just for compliance purpose the ETP’s have been installed. Enquiry should be done on this kind of company and officials who related financially with each other.