CPCB Orders Closure of Shyam Metalics Rengali Plant Over Severe Pollution Norm Violations

04 Apr 2026, 09:04 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered Shyam Metalics & Energy Limited to shut down its plant in Rengali, Sambalpur, right away. The reason? Repeated and serious violations of environmental safety rules. Acting under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the board stepped in after an inspection on March 17 and 18, 2026. That visit showed the company hadn’t fixed problems flagged in earlier notices, dating all the way back to May 2025.

The biggest concern is air pollution. Inspectors found that particulate matter (PM) emissions from several main chimneys hit 268 mg/Nm³—well above the allowed limit of 50 mg/Nm³. On top of that, a lot of the pollution control systems and fume extractors didn’t work, or just weren’t doing their job, so dust was pouring out all over the plant and even beyond the property line. Inspectors also discovered the plant running an unauthorized slag crushing facility and other units without the required permissions or updated emission controls.

Waste management was a mess, too. Even though a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system is mandatory, inspectors saw wastewater flowing out of the plant through makeshift drains and broken walls. There was no working sewage treatment setup. Hazardous materials—like tar waste and oil-contaminated debris—were simply stored in the open, which is not only unsafe but illegal. Inspectors counted over 50 drums of hazardous waste, none of them properly labeled or secured, upping the risk of contaminating the soil and groundwater.

Because of all these problems, the CPCB says the plant must stay shut until every issue gets fixed and the board gives formal approval to restart. Shyam Metalics & Energy Limited has 30 days to turn in a full compliance report. If they don’t meet these rules or submit missing documents such as the annual ash audit report, they’re looking at more legal trouble ahead.