PANAJI
The Western Zone bench of the NGT on Monday admitted an appeal filed against the environmental clearance granted to the Amona plant operated by Vedanta on grounds of pollution.
The NGT issued notice on an appeal filed by four villagers of Amona and the Goa Foundation challenging the Environment Clearance issued to the company by the MOEF&CC for expansion of the company’s three blast furnaces and other diversified activity.
The NGT admitted the appeal and has kept the matter for further orders including consideration of the plea for a stay of the EC on August 17, 2022.
“We have perused the grounds taken in this appeal and find that EC for expansion of pig iron plant capacity and additional diversification could not have been granted as the Respondent’s Plant, as per its own data submitted as part of its EIA Report for EC was found to be regularly exceeding the annual average norms for PM10 (Particulate matter 10) laid down under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards,” the NGT bench of Justices Dinesh Kumar Singh and Vijay Kulkarni argued.
“Therefore, the existing air quality around the plant is unhealthy. EC also does not deal with the chronic and incurable air pollution emanating from this plant. The technology installed in the said plant is inefficient. There are several other grounds also taken in the present appeal. We find from the above argument as well as the perusal of the grounds that substantial questions relating to the environment are made out and this appeal needs to be admitted. Accordingly, we admit it,” the NGT ruled.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests issued an environment clearance on January 24, 2022, after a public hearing was held at both Amona and Navelim. At both public hearings, vociferous opposition had been raised against the expansion proposals. The expansion involved enhanced production at three blast furnaces, additional coke ovens, a new unit for ductile pipes, etc.
The appeal stated that the EC dated January 24, 2022, for expanding production could not have been issued when the plant has continued to pollute its environment. Appellants drew the attention of the Tribunal to the continuous dispersal of black and shiny graphite particles over their neighbourhoods, affecting their health and quality of life.
They also drew the attention of the Tribunal to the fact that the EIA report submitted for the public hearing held in connection with the expansion proposals carried data which showed that while the plant may meet the standards for daily averages of PM10, it failed the annual standard for PM10 under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
The appellants also pointed out that hardly a few days before the EC was issued (on 24.1.2022), the Goa Pollution Control Board had issued a detailed set of directions for improving the environment surrounding the plant. These directions were recommended by an Environmental Audit of the plant conducted in August 2021. None of these facts was taken into account by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
