Bhubaneswar, March 12: You can breathe easy as the state government has decided to relocate polluting warehouses of the Mancheswar Industrial Estate, Bhubaneswar, and Jagatpur Industrial Estate, Cuttack, which deal in cement.

The loading, unloading and transportation of cement have been causing air pollution in the area. Besides, heavy vehicles carrying ready concrete mixture of up to 40 tonnes and above are damaging the roads in the locality, as these roads are not meant to withstand the weight.

Sources said the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) would move the polluting warehouse units — operating from premises originally allotted to medium and small-scale enterprises (MSMEs) — to a place near Baranga.

Addressing members of different organisations of the MSME sector, chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik said on Monday that with a view to free the greater Bhubaneswar-Cuttack urban cluster of pollution, there would be a planned effort to shift the units (both warehouses and industrial units) to zones away from the human habitation. This will help lessen the pollution burden on the twin cities.

Idco chairman-cum-managing director Vishal Dev told The Telegraph: “In the first phase, we have identified some units in Mancheswar where cement warehouses are causing air pollution and the road is getting damaged by loaded trucks. We have identified a plot near Baranga on the city outskirts where the warehouses can be relocated.”

He hinted at examining the status of the industrial units that are now used for warehousing activities, especially for cement, as the commodity causes severe air pollution. “Earlier, in New Delhi and adjoining areas such as Okhla Industrial Area and New Okhla Industrial Area (Noida), such plans were implemented so that citizens may breathe less polluted air,’’ Dev said.

President, Warehouse Owners’ Association (WOA), Bhubaneswar, Rabi Mohapatra, said: “The railway goods shed is near Mancheswar so our storage units should be near the shed. We know that the railway authorities are building a new shed 1km from the present one. One wonders how Baranga can be a better place for relocating the warehouses.”

Moreover, Mohapatra said that as the cities were growing rapidly and within five years Baranga would be a part of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar urban cluster, Kapilas Road near Nirgundi or Retanga near Khurda Road would be better options. They are also centrally placed for all other locations and district headquarter towns.

Members of WOA, however, said the state government had taken a decision for a good cause and they would abide by it. “But Idco or any other agency must develop infrastructure first before going for relocation,’’ one of them said.