SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government has issued fresh guidelines for setting up coke oven plants (with an installed production capacity of less than 25,000 MT per annum) in the state.
The notification has been issued by the Meghalaya Forest and Environment Department.
According to the notification, the standalone coke plants should be set up 500 metres away from a main road (PWD), 1 km away from the outer limit of a village and important public places, such as hospitals, schools, tourist spots, and 100-metre away from a major stream, river or lake.
There should be a minimum distance of 1 km between two standalone coke plants, the notification stated.
Stating that a coke plants cluster is defined when two or more units are located within a distance of 1 km from each other, the notification said the criteria for clusters are that they should be set up 1-km away from a main road (PWD), 3-km away from the outer limit of a village and important public places like hospitals, schools and tourist spots and 200 metres away from a major stream, rivers or lake.
As per the notification, there must be a minimum distance of 5 km between the two clusters.
A minimum buffer zone of 100 meters (in case of standalone units) and 300 meters (in case of clusters) should be provided around the periphery of the green belt, the notification stated.
In addition, there should be a provision for a common approach road for the units in a cluster, it said.
“Measures to be adopted for prevention and control of pollution, standards of emission, etc shall be as prescribed under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and Rules/Notifications,” the notification stated.
Notably, the state government issued the notification in pursuance of advice from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board and in compliance with an order of the Meghalaya High Court while exercising the powers conferred under Section 54 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and Section 64 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and in light of Article 162 of the Constitution.
The state government has been under fire for the past several years for its alleged inaction against illegally operating coke plants, particularly in West Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills.
