IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI
                    W.P. (PIL) No.7408 of 2013
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Dilip Kumar Bhagat, son of Raj Kumar Bhagat, resident of Marar, P.O and P.S. and District - Ramgarh ...... ......... Petitioner Versus

1.The State of Jharkhand, through its Chief Secretary, Project Bhawan, P.O. and P.S. -Dhurwa, Dist- Ranchi

2.Deputy Commissioner, Ramgarh, P.O & P.S. and District Ramgarh

3.Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, T.A. Division Building (Ground Floor), HEC Campus Dhurwa, P.O.& P.S. Dhurwa, District

-Ranchi

4.Secretary, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, T.A. Division Building (Ground Floor), HEC Campus Dhurwa, P.O.& P.S. Dhurwa, District -Ranchi ..... ...... ....... Respondents

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CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIRENDER SINGH, CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE P.P. BHATT

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For the Petitioner : M/s A.K. Sahani, Vikesh Kumar,Adv.

For the State              : JC to AAG
For the State Pollution
Control Board              : Mr. A.K. Pandey, Advocate
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07/ Dated:12th May, 2015
Per Virender Singh, C.J.:

Mr. A.K. Sahani, learned advocate for the petitioner, submits that several sponge iron industries situated in Marar Industrial Area of District Ramgarh have been made operational in connivance with the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (for short, SPCB) without taking No Objection Certificate from the SPCB and all these industries are polluting the surrounding areas as depicted in Paragraph-10 of the petition.

2. Mr. A.K. Pandey, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the S.P.C.B. while drawing the attention of the Court to the affidavit filed by one Mahendra Mahto, Member Secretary, SPCB, Ranchi states that industries falling in the area of Ramgarh and its surrounding places, as depicted in Paragraph-4 of the counter affidavit which play the major role in polluting the area around Ramgarh township, have been made operational only after all those units were checked by the task force consisting of the District Mining Officer, Mining Inspector, the representative of the Deputy Commissioner and the Scientific Assistant of SPCB with other concerned officials.

3. According to Mr. Pandey, all these units have installed all the pollution control devices including Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) with their kiln stack to control dust emission. He states that these industries have also installed online stack monitoring system. Even the Bag filters at different pollution generating sources have also been installed by these units at cooler discharge, product separation, storage bin, etc. Therefore, the emission from all these units have come down within the prescribed limit i.e. 100 mg/Nm 3.

4. With regard to certain units, which are operating without obtaining No Objection Certificates from the SPCB, according to Mr. Pandey complaints have been filed against them by the Regional Officer of the Board. He has drawn the attention of the Court to the list containing the names of all those units against whom the complaints have been filed or to be filed.

5. We are surprised as to why all these units, which have not obtained No Objection Certificates from the SPCB are still allowed to continue, whereas if any industrial unit violates any of the restrictions on use of the industrial plants, as contained in Section 21 of the Air (Prevention of Pollution & Control) Act, 1981, the concerned authority is empowered to close the said unit. Mr. Pandey states that the SPCB shall look into this aspect and would ensure that appropriate action is taken against those erring units in accordance with law.

6. Mr. Sahani, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner states that this redresses the grievance of the petitioner as projected in this petition at this stage and nothing survives in it for prosecute if any further.

7. Disposed of accordingly.

8. Copy of the order shall be provided to the learned counsel for both the sides.

(Virender Singh, C.J.) (P.P. Bhatt, J.) Anu/SI