Paradip, Jan. 24: A panel of experts from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board faced the wrath of Udayabata villagers, who demanded immediate shutdown of the proposed 2,20,000 metric tonne per annum petroleum coke plant.

The villagers live near the plant site. “The unit that has resumed its trial production has perpetrated worst form of air and water pollution at the villages. It has endangered human lives. The plant under no circumstances should be accorded environmental clearance for its operation. As the safety of people is at stake, they have vowed to resist the polluting unit,” said local resident Dharanidhar Mahapatra.

The ground water level has got polluted, while the air has turned smoky with thick layer of coke dust particles. Respiratory disorders and water-borne diseases have spurted up at the villages, said Niranjan Swain.

“We carried out the environment impact assessment of the plant. People of the nearby areas registered their complaint against the project. We took serious view of their grievances,” said the board’s expert appraisal committee chairman Shasanka Sekhar Patnaik.

The local people had opposed the project in a public hearing on September 29 last year. The board had organised the hearing, in accordance with the ministry for environment and forest’s directions.

Kalinga Calcner Limited, which is setting up the petroleum coke project, also plans to open a five-megawatt power plant based on waste heat recovery boiler.

A protester said the plant did precious little for pollution control.

Consequently, the Udayabata villagers on the outskirts of Paradip port are bearing the pollution brunt.

The plant-side settlers are of the view that the port’s sole objective is to rake in profit while relegating the pollution and environment safety norms to the rear.

“People have begun to feel the intensity of pollution perpetrated by the plant during its trial production. There is gross absence of environment-safety mechanism in the plant. People are bound to suffer a lot if the plant is accorded green signal for commissioning,” said Udayabata resident Brindaban Dash.