Dimoria: Tribal groups seek to void Topatoli factory public hearing

Three tribal student organisations in Dimoria, in Kamrup Metropolitan district, have asked the Pollution Control Board, Assam, to cancel a public hearing held for a proposed industrial project at Topatoli, saying the plant could further pollute farmland and water in the area, Pratidin Time reported.

The organisations submitted separate memorandums on Saturday, October 31, through the Dimoria Co-District Commissioner. That was a day after the public hearing on the project was held at Topatoli on October 30.

Who is objecting

The memorandums came from the Kamrup district committee of the All Tiwa Students' Union, the central committee of the Amri Karbi Students' Union and the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union. Several local groups and residents have backed their concerns, according to the report.

The groups called the October 30 hearing illegal and one-sided, alleging that the concerns of local people were not properly addressed. They have asked the authorities to declare it invalid and to stop what they described as the proposed expansion of a polluting industrial project.

Pollution fears

Dimoria is a tribal belt whose economy depends largely on agriculture. The organisations warned that another pollution-generating unit could harm biodiversity, farmland and water sources there.

They pointed to the record of Progressive Fertichem, alleging that arsenic-contaminated industrial waste from the unit had in the past damaged agricultural fields and polluted nearby wetlands, drains, streams and rivers. They also claimed the pollution had hurt fish and other aquatic life and raised worries about drinking water and residents' health. The company's response to these allegations was not reported.

According to the groups, the proposed chemical factory could make the existing situation worse and put human health, crops, aquatic species and soil fertility at further risk.

Why the hearing matters

Public hearings are a mandatory step in the environmental clearance process for many industrial projects in India. They are organised by the state pollution control board so that people living near a proposed site can record objections before the project is appraised. Opponents often challenge hearings they see as rushed or poorly publicised.

Next steps

The organisations said that if the authorities do not act in the public interest, they will launch a joint democratic movement with other local groups. They also said they may approach the Gauhati High Court with a public interest litigation.

The Pollution Control Board and the district administration had not publicly responded to the memorandums at the time of the report.