Dimoria: Groups opposing industrial projects in Dimoria on Sunday demanded that a proposed chemical-fertiliser facility and a 25MW captive thermal power plant be stopped, alleging that the area is already burdened by polluting industries and that residents were not properly informed of a public hearing held on Saturday.
The opposition concerns a company identified as Fartichem Inochem LLP, proposed on 42 bighas of land, where Progressive Fartichem had earlier operated, opponents said. They alleged that the earlier unit manufactured inorganic chemical fertilisers and discharged waste into agricultural fields.
They further alleged that the waste had affected streams, drains and water-soluble organisms within a two-to-three-kilometre radius, causing harm to bacteria, viruses, plants and aquatic life. These claims could not be independently verified.
Opponents said the new facility would involve bleaching materials, caustic powder, ethylene and 30% polythene, alongside the proposed 25MW thermal power project, referred to as a CPP. They alleged that the projects would add to soil and water pollution and damage local biodiversity.
They alleged that the administration and the Pollution Control Board held the hearing without informing the public. A public hearing is meant to seek views on how a project may harm or benefit residents, they said, questioning why it was conducted without wider notice.
The project was described by opponents as a nearly Rs 543-crore venture involving the owner of Progressive Fartichem and two people from outside the area. They said employment promised by the project could not outweigh the alleged threat to the region.
Groups named in the opposition included the Tiwa Students’ Union, the Amerikori Students’ Union and ACRASU. They termed the hearing illegal and warned of an intense movement if the proposed projects are not stopped promptly.
