Similarly, Sunil Kerketta, a villager in the sponge iron areas in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh claims "two of my cows died eating the ash stricken grass and leaves. Similar, incidences are also reported from other villagers also".

The mushrooming number of sponge iron industries throughout the country is causing severe damage to the environment and is causing serious respiratory and skin diseases to the people in the area, claims a audio visual documentary, `Iron is Hot', produced by Orissa Development Action Forum, a NGO working in tribal areas of Orissa.

During its release on April 19, Meghnad, the maker of the documentary said that that the quantity of suspended carbon particle is so high that even during normal times the sky would look foggy. Padmashree Tulasi Munda was present on the occasion.

Sponge iron is the metallic product created when iron ore is reduced to metallic iron and is mainly used in making steel. In the National Industrial Policy 1991, all care was taken to promote the industries by delicencing, permitting land acquisition, providing supply of water and subsidised electricity for the plants.

As a result, the number of industries boomed from three in 1985 to nearly 206 in 2005, and about 225 such industries are under construction now. India is the largest global producer of sponge iron.

While in foreign countries natural gas is used to extract sponge iron from iron ore, in India in most of the cases, coal is used as fuel that make the whole industry fatal for the living being and environment.

In Orissa, the sponge iron industries are found in huge numbers in the Sundargarh and Kenosha districts apart from in Mayurbhanj and Anugul.

The exhaust from such industries in form of smoke through the chimney and the carbon ash contain highly toxic substance like copper, chromium and cadmium etc which directly or indirectly pollute the air, water and land.

It is observed in areas like Kuwanrmunda of Sundargarh district that the ash of the industries are dumped along the road side, on the banks of rivers and even inside the rivers.

As a result, agriculture in the area is badly affected; severe health hazards not only to the humans but also to the animals are also witnessed.

A study conducted by scientist Sagardhara during 2001 in a sponge iron industry in Mayurbhanj suggests that there is high risk of cancer to the people inhabiting around these industries.

Indira Gandhi Agriculture Institute of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh found in a study that about 25,000 hectares of land has become barren in a radius of five km of a sponge iron factory.

Tulsa, a woman from Kuwanrmunda area of Sundargarh who released the documentary on the occasion alleged the violation of Panchayat Extension of Scheduled Areas Act 1996 is a case of land acquisition done for several companies for setting up of sponge iron plants.

People of the area came up openly against the setting up of these industries in the area in a public hearing conducted in 2006.

The government is adopting raw methods of incarcerating people protesting against the industries. Last year in March police arrested 119 people including about 30 minors who were demonstrating in front of a sponge iron unit of a private company.

(The writer is a social activist and journalist)