Two huge tanks of fuel (which look
like grey buildings in the background)
at the IOC bottling plant, seen
behind houses in Surya Enclave.
The devastating fire at the IOC depot on the outskirts of Jaipur in 2009 is a spectre that residents of two colonies in Jalandhar are reminded of every day as they squeeze past long queues of fuel trucks parked along their only exit.
The potential bomb sitting amidst Guru Gobind Singh Avenue and Surya Enclave of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) is an LPG bottling plant of the IOC (IndianOil).
But what makes life for the nearly 2,000 homes in the colonies spread over 300 acres a misery is the obnoxious smell from the gas-filling plant and two rubber units, also functioning around the residential area.
The colonies, otherwise comparable with the “poshest“ in the state, are marred by the constant fear of an uncontrollable fire that may break out at the IOC plant, besides the pollution and stink from the two rubber manufacturing plants, Navyug India Limited and Speedways Tires. Residents say the air becomes especially acrid in the evening, when it becomes difficult to breathe.
The plant amidst the residential area is also the cause of traffic obstruction. Despite being located right next to National Highway 1, the colonies are deprived of clear access as the only available service lane is blocked by wrongly parked oil tankers. This leads to accidents as well, but the traffic police have never taken any action.
The Jalandhar Improvement Trust, which earned crores of rupees through the sale of plots in these colonies, has also turned a blind eye to the residents' woes. When contacted, chairman of the trust Baljeet Singh Neelamahal said they had lodged formal complaints with the Punjab Pollution Control Board many times, but to no avail.
“Board officials have expressed their helplessness in taking any action against IOC, it being a state-owned company. But they seem to be ignoring the pollution being caused by the industrial units,“ Neelamahal added.
But had the trust not failed in providing a clean environment to the residents? It is even developing a new colony, Surya Enclave Extension. Neelamahal said they had already obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the government, and applications would be invited soon. While the residents continue to suffer the stink, they have not received one benefit they were promised. Being close to the LPG plant, the trust had promised piped cooking gas to every house. But the only assured delivery is the smell, as Swati Sharma, a resident, said.
Soot on clothes Besides the unbearable smell of LPG and burning rubber that pervades the area, the residents also have to put up with the thick black smoke released by the two rubber plants. Such is the pollution that clothes put out to dry end up gathering soot.
While Navyug India Limited is located in an area marked “residential“ in the master plan, Speedways Tyres is right across the highway, though in an industrial area.
District town planner (DTP) Inderjit Singh said as per the master plan, no industrial unit could be allowed in a residential area. But, he added, it was the duty of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to ban it.
PPCB executive engineer Harbir Singh, when contacted, did not promise any immediate action against Navyug India, but said he would warn the factory against pollution.
“The factory has been there since many years. I will have to check the files,” he said. “Yet, if it spreads pollution, then the board will take action.“
While HT has learnt Navyug India did not have the mandatory clearance from the district town planner, its owner SK Parmar, who is related to the mayor, said he was “ready to do everything” to curtail pollution. He added he had already ordered equipment to increase the height of the chimney. Pritpal Singh “Pali“, owner of Speedways Tyres, denied his factory was spreading any “pollution“. “We regularly get clearance from the PPCB,“ he added.
Safety guaranteed: IOC
Mr. Kulwinder Singh,
Senior Plant Manager,
IndianOil LPG bottling plant
The process of filling the LPG cylinders at the IOC plant leads to minor leakages, which causes the distinct smell associated with the cooking gas to spread in the area.
Senior plant manager Kulwinder Singh told HT the leakage was very minute, and not harmful to humans.
The smell comes from a special chemical -mercaptan -deliberately mixed in the gas so as to alert people to any leak.
“We have a closed system. However, during the filling operation, very small quantities of LPG escape, which does not affect safety or health of people,“ he said.
“All leakage is monitored round the clock, and in case of emergency, the entire operation is cut off immediately, and the fire-fighting system switches on,“ he said. Fire drills are also conducted regularly.
There was no immediate plan to shift the plant, at present spread over 80 acre, he said when asked if there was any proposal in view of the Jaipur fire.
