The Central Ground Water Board has directed Odisha to establish a joint investigation panel following allegations that Vedanta's Jharsuguda unit extracted groundwater without proper approvals. According to reports from Business Standard, the CGWB issued a missive on August 3 directing the Jharsuguda collector to form a panel comprising representatives from district administration, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), CGWB, and other concerned departments. The committee has been tasked with inspecting the site and submitting its report within 15 days of the inspection completion.
The investigation follows a complaint by Satyanarayan Rao, president of Anchalik Paribesh Surakhya Sangh, Jharsuguda, alleging that Vedanta extracted groundwater through borewells for industrial use without mandatory approvals. As reported by Business Standard, Rao sought physical inspection of the plant, sealing of all unauthorised and unmetered borewells, and legal action against the company, including penalties as per statutory guidelines. The CGWB stated that the allegations required verification through scrutiny of official records as well as physical inspection of industrial premises.
Kunal Motiram Chavan, collector of Jharsuguda, confirmed that a committee headed by the additional district magistrate has already been constituted to investigate the allegations. According to Business Standard, the four-member panel has been instructed to inspect sites, inquire about borewells, and submit a report at the earliest. An email sent to Vedanta seeking comments remained unanswered until the time of publication.
This development occurs approximately three months after the Odisha government issued a demand notice of ₹233.11 crore to Vedanta Aluminium Ltd's Jharsuguda unit for alleged unauthorised extraction of water from the Bheden river system. As reported by Business Standard, Vedanta had contested this notice, stating it was based on incorrect assumptions and did not reflect the factual or regulatory position. The earlier dispute related to surface/river water, while the current complaint concerns groundwater allegedly extracted through borewells.
According to the complaint, Vedanta operated numerous borewells without mandatory groundwater clearances, water-drawal agreements, or digital flow meters. As reported by Business Standard, the complainant alleged that Vedanta relied entirely on groundwater during the construction and commissioning of its Jharsuguda plant between 2005 and 2011 because the pipeline from the Hirakud reservoir became operational only in 2011.
