Bhubaneswar, Nov 15 : Senior Congress leader and former MLA Debasis Patnaik on Tuesday slammed the Odisha government for allotting land to set up an Ethanol plant in an eco-sensitive area in Banki Tehsil of Cuttack district violating all norms.
Patnaik alleged that the Odisha government has allotted 25.6 acres of land near Baron village under Banki Tahasil in September 2021 on a 90-year lease.
The Cuttack-based company he said would produce 125 KLPD of ethanol and also set up a 4MW Thermal Power plant which would require 180 tons of coal as fuel.
The Congress leader said the area is a habitat of wild animals like bear, deer, rabbits, peacocks, snakes and is used by wild elephants as a corridor. The site is also very close to Dampada -Banki prohibited area.
Patnaik said several educational institutions, villages, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Orissa High Court are situated within one to 5 km range of the proposed plant.
The dust and smoke emitted from the plant will affect the environment and biodiversity of the area, he alleged.
The company, Patnaik said, has neither obtained environmental clearance from the Pollution Control Board nor from the Environment and Forest department of both the state and central governments.
The Congress leader further said the Gram Sabha was also not conducted but the BJD-supported Sarpanch of the area has given a false report about the conduct of the Gram Sabha.
He urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to reconsider the decision and allot land to the company somewhere in the Choudwar area where hundreds of acres of land lay under IDCO for industrial purposes.
The former Congress MLA said, “we are not opposed to industrialisation but opposed to industries coming up ignoring the environment, bio diversity norms and interest of the people”.
