The Maharashtra government has decided to undertake a study across all power Plants in the state to determine how ageing and polluting coal-fired power facilities can be phased down in a systematic manner.
The announcement was made by state Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray during his visit to Nandgaon, a village 32 kilometres from Nagpur. Following repeated complaints of locals against fly-ash pollution from the state-run Khaparkheda power plant, the minister inspected the affected areas and assured the villagers ofNandgaonas well as Waregaon that the fly-ash ponds will be permanently shut. He added that Nandgaons farmlands, now covered in flyash, will be restored to its original state within the next 15 days.
The state governments decision is in line with the commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Conference of Parties (COP26) at Glasgow.