Bengal orders closure of 10 sponge iron units

Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) The West Bengal government has ordered 10 sponge iron units in Burdwan district to be closed down for flouting pollution norms, an official said Monday.

"In view of the 16-point pollution guidelines given by an expert committee, 10 sponge iron units in the Asansol-Durgapur industrial belt have been ordered to close down for flouting those norms," Environment Minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar said in the state assembly during question hour.

Dastidar said the expert committee guidelines were submitted to the government earlier this month, according to which, industrial units must have in place a mechanism to prevent ground water contamination, rainwater harvesting and electrostatic precipitator among others.

An electrostatic precipitator is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a flowing gas (such as air) using the force of an induced electrostatic charge.

The government was in the process of identifying other such units which are flouting the pollution norms, added the minister.