Bhubaneswar: The House Committee of Odisha Assembly has sought reports from Secretaries of Urban Development and Forest & Environment Departments on environmental pollution.
The meeting was chaired by Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro on Thursday. The Committee also decided to examine orders passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over environmental pollution in its next meeting.
The meeting discussed matters relating to the discharge of effluents by industrial units into different rivers, farmlands and carbon emission by sponge iron factories.
The three sub-committees formed will go into details of the issues discussed in the meeting.
Mohan Charan Majhi, Opposition Chief Whip, will chair the sub-committee on the release of wastewater by industries into water bodies and rivers.
The sub-committee on clean environment in urban and rural areas will be chaired by Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingh Mishra and the sub-committee on carbon emission by sponge iron units will be chaired by MLA Badri Narayan Patra.
The sub-committees were asked to submit reports after studying environmental pollution before the next session of the Assembly.
The House Committee meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker Rajnikant Singh, Panchayati Raj Minister Pratap Jena, Steel & Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick, Government Chief Whip Pramila Mallick, Opposition Deputy Chief Whip Mohan Charan Majhi, CLP leader Narsingh Mishra, MLA Badrinarayan Patra, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Bishnu Sethi, MLA Brajakishore Pradhan, Ramesh Chandra Behera, Dasarathi Gomango, Minakshi Mahant and Prakash Soren.
