A China clay mine in Rajmahal. Picture by Ravi Anand

Rajmahal, June 29: Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board and Sahebganj district administration are at loggerheads over the closure of five polluting China clay mines situated on the banks of the Ganga in Rajmahal.

The JSPCB, which had issued showcause notices to 11 firms in Rajmahal three months ago, sent orders for the closure of only five of them to Sahebganj deputy commissioner K. Ravi Kumar on May 15.

But Kumar denies receiving any such notice. “I haven’t received any communication from the JSPCB. In any case, one needs to follow the legal procedure. You need to give the firms at least 60 days time to comply with the order. They are free to appeal too.”

But JSPCB member secretary S.K. Sinha was sceptical of the DC’s claims. “It is hard to believe that the notice reached the owners of mines but did not reach the Sahebganj DC. The order is not being executed due to lack of will,” he said.

The five firms served closure notices are Rajmahal Quartzite, Sand and Kaolin Mines, Khemka Mineral, Ritu Mineral, Jai Mineral and Standard Mercantile Company.

These firms allege the remaining six must have “bribed” JSPCB officials to spare themselves. “The JSPCB had served notices to 11 China clay mines, including mine, in Rajmahal three months ago. Why do you think officials have served closure notices to only six? There is no prize for guessing. They are turning the heat on us as we did not pay them,” alleged a China clay mine owner, requesting anonymity.

Another mine owner came out with similar allegations. “We had gone to the JSPCB office in Ranchi after the showcause notice was issued. Pollution was the last thing they talked about, all they wanted was Rs 50,000 from each of us to strike off the names of our firms from the closure list.”

According to mine owners only firms located close to the Ganga released water into the river. “The effluent is not toxic and does not pollute the river. The JSPCB officials are trying to threaten us to make some quick money,” claimed the owner.

But Sinha denied these allegations. “The mine owners are talking nonsense. So far they have been flouting pollution norms with impunity. Now I am trying to put things in order and save the sacred Ganga. They are pulling me into the murky waters of a blame game, a sport they have attained mastery in over the years.”

If JSPCB manages to shut down the mines, around 10,000 people working in allied business in surrounding areas – will lose their livelihood. “The closure will affect the state, which earns around Rs 2 crore in revenue from these units. Under such condition Sahebganj, which is still free of Maoists, runs the risk of becoming a part of the red corridor,” warned Vinod Kumar Agarwal, a senior Congress leader.