PANAJI
In what is likely a first-of-its-kind condition imposed by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the Environment Ministry's state-level clearance body has made it mandatory for a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company to ensure that 80 per cent of the workforce at its proposed plant in Verna comprises local Goan candidates as a condition for environmental clearance (EC).
The decision was taken during the SEIAA meeting held last month while granting environmental clearance to M/s Centaur Pharmaceuticals Private Limited for the construction of an industrial shed at Verna Industrial Estate in South Goa.
The authority has directed the project proponent to employ 80 per cent local Goan candidates at the proposed plant and to furnish detailed information on employment generation in its six-monthly environmental compliance reports.
According to the specific condition attached to the EC, the company must submit the total number of employees, category-wise break-up of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, the number of local Goans employed and the measures undertaken to enhance local employment through recruitment and skill development initiatives. “The Project Proponent shall employ 80% local Goan candidates at the proposed plant. The Project Proponent shall provide details regarding employment generation for the local Goan population at the existing/ proposed plant. The details shall be submitted as part of the six-monthly compliance reports,” SEIAA said.
The condition has come as a major surprise as ECs generally focus on pollution control, environmental safeguards and compliance measures, with employment-related stipulations rarely forming part of the approval process. The project involves the construction of an industrial facility with a total built-up area of 48,102.30 sq m, comprising 39,330.08 sq m of FSI area and 8,772.22 sq m of non-FSI area. The project also provides parking for 310 four-wheelers and 1,182 two-wheelers within the premises. Besides the employment condition, SEIAA directed the company to obtain all statutory approvals, including those from the Town Planning Authority, before commencing construction and ensure that all buildings comply with local building by-laws and structural safety norms prescribed under the National Building Code. The authority has also imposed a significant greenbelt development condition, requiring the company to plant 5,000 saplings within or around the project area or at other suitable locations. The plantation must predominantly consist of native Goan species, along with medicinal, fruit-bearing and spice trees to promote biodiversity, while restricting ornamental species.
All plantations must be GPS geo-tagged and numbered, with species-wise records, location coordinates, survival status and photographic evidence submitted through six-monthly environmental compliance reports.
