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Noose tightens around illegal sand mining, thermal plants

Thermal power plants, based on coal, lignite, naptha and gas of less than 500 megawatts(MW), seeking prior environmental clearances(EC) from the state level environment impact assessment authorities would now be examined for environmental impacts on the basis of their capacities, the ministry has said.

The ministry, while issuing guidelines on 24 December for the appraisal of thermal power projects, has directed that all thermal power projects(coal, lignite, naptha or gas based) over 5 MW but less than 500 MW would be required to submit prior Environment Impact Assessment(EIA) reports to the state assessment authorities before commencing their projects. The thermal projects of up to 5 MW have, however, been exempted from submitting EIA reports.

The ministry has also placed restrictions on the cement plants, making it mandatory for all stand-alone grinding units transporting their raw material and finished products by means other than railways to produce EIA reports for their projects before the state assessment authorities. The cement plants and stand-alone grinding units transporting raw materials and finished products primarily by railways would, however, be exempt from EIA reports at the time of seeking EC.

The leather, skin and hide processing industry, perceived to be one of the biggest polluting industries in the country, has also been tamed by the ministry, in its latest move. As per the new guidelines issued by the ministry under provisions for Screening of the EIA Notification 2006, all new leather, skin and hide processing units situated within a notified industrial area would now be made to submit prior EIA reports while discounting those without tanning operations from filing such report.

In a significant move aimed at further checking illegal mining across the country, the ministry, in its amended schedule, has also ruled out grant of environmental clearances for mining in area less than 5 hectares (ha).

Further, the sand mining projects to be carried out in area exceeding 5 ha but not more than 25 ha would necessarily be asked to submit the EIA reports to the concerned state or union territory’s assessment authority. Besides, if one lease area is less than 1 km in distance from another lease area and the total lease area is over 25 ha, the clearance needs to be obtained for the cluster as a whole, the ministry has said.

‘Guidelines have been issued to ensure effective and correct assessment of the environmental effects of the new projects. Certain stipulations have been made for mineral beneficiation, metallurgical industries, chlor-alkali industry, chemical fertilisers, manufacturing of man-made fibres and aerial ropeways,’ a senior ministry official said. ‘The category ‘B’ projects of the EIA 2006 schedule have been classified further into B1 and B2 depending upon their impacts and needs for detailed environmental examination,’ the official told.
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