A view of Dr. Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station near Vijayawada. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Southern Zonal Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Chennai ordered that notices be served to Dr. Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS) and AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) in the case pertaining to pollution being caused by the State-owned power plant.
Last week, the Principal Bench of NGT located in New Delhi registered the case suo motu on the basis of a report published in The Hindu about protests staged by the people on November 4, 2024 against the pollution, and transferred it to the Chennai Bench. NTTPS has been impleaded as a ‘necessary party’ to the proceedings.
The NGT acknowledged the filing of a report on the issue by APPCB on January 10, 2025 and called for further action taken report by March 5, 2025 to which date the matter has been posted.
APPCB said in its report that it was closely monitoring the situation and reviewed in the external advisory committee meetings held in December 2024 and January 2025 following the receipt of complaints.
Besides, the APPCB member-secretary stated that the Board issued certain directions to NTTPS on complying with the prescribed air and water quality standards.
As per the APPCB report, AP Power Generation Corporation Limited (AP-Genco) sanctioned ₹10 crore on December 6, 2023 for controlling the suspended particulate matter and rectification of Electro-Static Precipitator (ESP) fields and taking other steps to mitigate the pollution.
AP-Genco sanctioned an additional budget of ₹18 crore in April 2024 for improving the performance of the existing ESPs and fly ash evacuation systems and strengthening ash handling. Besides, AP-Genco requested Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. to supply high grade coal.
APPCB officials inspected the power plant on November 5, 2024 and verified the compliance with its irections. Subsequently, the APPCB task force committee reviewed the status of implementation of the air pollution control measures in a meeting held on November 25, 2024.
The committee recommended to the Board to obtain a plan of action from NTTPS within two weeks along with budgetary estimates for rectifying the violations within three months. AP-Genco had again sanctioned ₹31 crore for improving the ESPs’ performance and fly ash extraction systems.
Published – January 23, 2025 11:43 am IST
