Programs

The 1^st Consultation Workshop for the key stakeholders was organized by the WBPCB in partnership with AECEN on March 26, 2009 at Hotel Peerless Inn, Durgapur. The chief objective of the workshop was to discuss challenges towards compliance in the sponge iron sector and to identify the compliance assistance programs beneficial for this sector and its related suppliers. The workshop also dwelt on the requirement of a comprehensive database of legal and environmental compliance indicators for the sponge iron sector and the Center’s draft website.

The inaugural function of the workshop was presided over by Mr. Sandipan Mukherjee, Member Secretary. Mr. Debal Roy, Chief Environment Officer. Dept. of Environment, Govt. of West Bengal addressed the gathering. Dr. Dipak Chakraborty, Chief Scientist, WBPCB delivered the key note address. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Subrata Ghosh, Chief Engineer, WBPCB and Mr Amitava Ray, AECEN India Representative. The workshop attended by representatives from WBIDC, ICC, BCCI and members of the Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association (SIMA) was a grand success.

Nearly 80 (eighty) persons from the key stakeholders i.e. various sponge iron manufacturing industries attended the workshop. Important resource persons addressing the workshop included Dr. Amit Chatterjee, Personal Advisor to Sri Ratan Tata, Chairman, M/s. Tata Steel Ltd., Dr. Amitava Bandopadhyay, Sr. Dy. Director, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, Mr. Prakash Tantia, Sr. Vice President (Marketing), M/s. Vikram Ispat, a gas based sponge iron unit under Aditya Birla Group. There was also Ms. Vineeta Prasad from Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd., Gurgaon who spoke about the availability of coal based methane gas for manufacturing sponge iron in Durgapur and adjoining areas. The proposed structure and content of the ECAC website was presented to the audience and a virtual tour of the proposed website was conducted during the workshop. The members present were highly appreciative of the endeavor of the WBPCB and the Dept. of Environment, Govt. of West Bengal to set up an ECAC in the state.

• Sponge Iron Industry in India - Amit Chatterjee
  
• Environment Management Center - Amitava Ray
  
• Environmental Issues in Sponge Iron Sector - Dr. Amitava Bandopadhyay
  
• Gas Based Technology for Sponge Iron Industry - Prakash Tantia
  
• Availability of Coal Bed Methane Gas for Sponge Iron Industry - Vineeta Prasad
  
• Developing an Envirionmental Compliance assistance center promoting Compliance in the Sponge Iron Sector - Dr. Dipak Chakraborty
  
• WBPCB Assistance to Sponge Iron sector for Environment Compliance- Subrata Ghosh
  
• Structure and content of ECAC website, an initial thought - Barna Majumdar