Cuttack, Feb. 9: The National Green Tribunal has extended the restrictions imposed on the use of Baitarani river water for iron ore slurry transportation and construction by Brahmani River Pellets Limited and Essar Steel Odisha Limited by nearly a month.

The tribunal adjourned the hearing in the case until March 4, when it found that the state government had not submitted its reply and it needed two more weeks’ time to clarify its stand.

Convenor of Baitarani Banchao Andolan Murali Manohar Sharma had filed a petition seeking intervention against the drawing of huge quantities of water from Baitarani river for iron ore slurry transportation to Brahmani River Pellets Limited (BRPL), which is setting up a pellet plant at Kalinga Nagar.

On December 19, the tribunal passed an interim order directing Essar not to go ahead with the construction of its pipeline for slurry transportation from the beneficiation plant in Keonjhar to Paradip without obtaining a forest clearance.

The water from Baitarani shall not be used contrary to the agreement for the purpose for which clearance has been granted, the tribunal specified in the interim order issued on a petition filed by convenor of Baitarani Surakshya Manch.

The state water resources department had allowed Essar to draw water from the Baitarani for their iron ore beneficiation plant in the Joda area of Keonjhar.

When both the cases came up on February 6, the petitioners alleged non-compliance of the restrictions imposed by the tribunal.

“Taking note of it, the principal bench of National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, comprising chairman Justice A.S. Naidu and expert member P.C. Mishra, issued a notice to the Keonjhar district collector seeking a clarification on the non-compliance of restrictions and posted the matter to March 4 for hearing, along with responses from both the central government and the state government,” petitioners’ counsel Bibhu Prasad Tripathy told The Telegraph today.