OSPCB slaps Rs 71 crore fine on Vedanta for environmental regulations breach

The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) is planning to take action against Vedanta Limited for illegally dumping fly ash in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh districts. The company was fined Rs 71 crore for violating norms. A senior OSPCB officer stated that the penalty was imposed after it was established that Vedanta was dumping fly ash in violation of rules. The company had been given a show cause notice in August, and its case will be submitted to the chief secretary, who is the chairman of OSPCB. Once approved, Vedanta will be asked to deposit the fine. The OSPCB has also instructed district administrations to ensure that fly ash is not dumped randomly by any company. A Congress MLA had earlier demanded action against Vedanta for violating consent-to-operate norms and dumping fly ash without approval. The MLA had pointed out that Vedanta had been directed to show cause within 15 days, but no action had been taken. The OSPCB has now vowed to take strict action against companies that violate environmental rules.