Cooling Tower of BALCO Spreading Distress, Residents of Shanti Nagar Falling Ill
Korba – The extent to which BALCO is troubling people can be gauged from the fact that residents of a once well-organized settlement, established 50 years ago, are now falling prey to severe illnesses. BALCO has brought turmoil into the lives of Shanti Nagar residents, who have been seeking justice for the past 13 years while their health continues to deteriorate. Despite agreements, the residents have not been relocated, and the increasing pollution levels have introduced diseases into their lives. This is confirmed by administrative investigation reports.
Vedanta, a subsidiary of the aluminum producer BALCO, decided to venture into power generation. The project was set up just 150 meters away from the residential area of BALCO Nagar. Matters worsened when Vedanta began constructing a cooling tower for BALCO’s 1200 MW project within the BALCO Nagar police jurisdiction, despite having available land elsewhere. This cooling tower is merely 20 meters away from the long-established Shanti Nagar. Residents started protesting in 2011, and in 2013, an agreement for relocation was reached. However, to this day, the residents of Shanti Nagar remain unsure where to escape from the noise and chemical reactions of the cooling tower. Out of the 86 affected families, 50 still reside in the area, while the remaining homes have been demolished under false promises. These families have been seeking their rights for 13 years, approaching administrative offices and courts, often receiving paper victories but no real justice, despite BALCO’s written acceptance under administrative supervision.
Currently, 76 people from the 50 remaining families are ill due to the pollution. Health department investigations reveal that residents suffer from various ailments: 20 have colds and coughs, 13 have high blood pressure and diabetes, 3 have asthma, and around 50 suffer from other diseases. The noise pollution here reaches 72 dBA during the day and 70.4 dBA at night, which is one and a half times the permissible limit. The noise in the video is unbearable for even a minute, yet residents have been enduring it for 13 years, forcing many to seek ENT specialists.
In upcoming reports, we will detail the lower and high court rulings on this matter, the stance of the Titiksha Shanti Nagar Rehabilitation Committee, and reveal major deceptions by BALCO, including insights about Avatar Singh. Stay tuned with Cg power hub news to uncover the dark truths of BALCO…
