Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Control Babul Supriyo has said he will take steps against industries responsible for rampant pollution in the Asansol Industrial belt.
In a tweet Supriyo said he will send central government officials to Baktiarnagar and Apcargarden to probe complaints by local residents.
The minister’s tweet came after the secretary of the Ramkrishna Mission Ashram in Asansol, Supriyo’s constituency, wrote to the Chairman of the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, Tapas Banerjee, alleging that over 1500 students were facing severe air pollution due to errant cement factories in the area.
Supriyo in his tweet mentioned cement, sponge iron and ferro alloy factories.
He sought specific complaints and details about the pollution created by these factories. He also promised to take stern action against these units, according to media reports.
Incidentally, due to extreme pollution levels, the Central Pollution Control Board, which is under Supriyo’s ministry, has listed Asansol and Durgapur among the 30 most polluted cities in the country. The CPCB had also banned fresh industrial expansion and investment.
