The Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the State Government and two cement factories of Rewa district on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for causing water, air and noise pollution in 18 villages of the district. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Ajeet Singh, admitted the petition of Kshetriya Jan Samasya Samadhay Samiti of village Chhijaria seeking court directives to restrain the two cement factories in Rewa district from spreading pollution through chimneys and mining blast in 18 villages.

The court directed to issue notices to State Environment Secretary, Secretary of Industries Bhopal, Chairman of MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) Bhopal and two factories of JP Cement Industries, Rewa, to file replies within four weeks time.

Petitioners’ counsel submitted before the court that illegal mining work was carried out around the JP Cement Factory and its subsidiaries, which caused pollution due to dust. The counsels submitted that due to emission of fumes and ash from the chimneys of these factories, villagers are suffering from pollution-related problems.

The petitioner petitioned the court for directions to the cement factories to raise the height of their chimneys to avert huge dust pollution in adjoining villages. It petitioned for court directives to the district administration to restrain factory management from blasting in mines adjoining these villages and to appoint a high-level committee to enquire into the matter of disturbance of environmental balance.