Sources told The Financial Express that under this scheme, upgradation of the existing pollution control facilities in SAIL plants and mine and installation of new control facilities in upcoming production units has been taken up.

Source said over 1100 air pollution control devices and nearly 200 control devices are being installed effectively to control effluents and emissions from both plants and mines.

He said, "in fact today we maintain proper awareness schedule of environmental issues and comply with applicable government laws and regulations.

To cater to the responsibility of environment in and around the steel plants, the environment management division of SAIL was set up at the corporate level in 1988 with the primary objective of assessing the environmental needs of the company and adding environmental concerns to managementand production procedures already in place.

SAIL with the five integrated steel plants, four special steel plants and several subsidiaries served by a vast network of over 20 iron ore, coal, limestone and dolomite quarries has been in the business of making and shaping steel for the last five decades.

Sources said that most of the integrated plants were commissioned during the late 50s and 60s. The pollution control equipment installed at the production units catered mostly to operational units. Adverse changes in raw material characteristics, inadequate growth of infrastructural facilities, obsolescence of process technologies and lack of timely availability of funds led to a situation where process emissions and effluents could not meet the regulatory norms.

Source said that prompted by need to address these aspects effectively and to evolve a long term perspective of environmental requirements for SAIL, a detailed three year study(1989-91) was carried out by Australian consulting firm, BHPE-Kinhillunder a World Bank loan scheme.

He said drawing from the recommendations of the study, the most comprehensive of its kind taken up in any Indian industry, involving 39 specialists and 276 months of effort, the environment management strategy for SAIL was developed priority areas needing short term and long term investment were identified to achieve the environmental goals set by the company.