Green tribunal suspends POSCO’s clearance

The National Green Tribunal has suspended the environmental clearance granted to the controversial POSCO steel project in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district. The project was cleared by the Union environment ministry in January last year. This was challenged by Prafulla Samantray, an activist from Bhoinagar in Odisha, in the tribunal.

National Green Tribunal stays thermal power plant in Gujarat

The National Green Tribunal has put on hold the Bhadreshwar thermal power plant at Mundra in Gujarat. It has asked the project proponent, OPG Power Gujarat Pvt Ltd, to stop all works at its 300 MW power plant till it gets the requisite environmental clearance. "We have no hesitation to hold that until OPG Power Gujarat Pvt Ltd obtains clearance to use reserve forest land and clearance from the Coastal Regulation Zone Authorities, it cannot go ahead with the project," said a bench comprising chairperson A S Naidu and Vijai Sharma on February 14.

Green tribunal halts tree felling for Alaknanda-Badrinath hydropower project

Alaknanda-Badrinath hydroelectric project challenged in green tribunal

Activists have challenged the Union environment ministry’s in-principle clearance to the proposed 300 MW hydroelectric project on the Alaknanda river before the National Green Tribunal. The project in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is proposed three km downstream of the Hindu pilgrimage centre Badrinath.

Green tribunal begins hearing appeal against POSCO steel plant

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has started hearing the appeal challenging environmental clearance granted to the controversial POSCO steel project in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district. The hearing began on Tuesday despite the claim of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that the clearance to the project cannot be challenged as it was granted four years ago after following due process of law.

Home ministry delayed Plachimada bill

The victims of groundwater depletion and environmental pollution in Plachimada village in Kerala’s Palakkad district will have to wait longer for compensation from the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage Company. This is because the Ministry of Home Affairs first sat on the Plachimada Coca-Cola Victims Relief and Compensation Claims Special Tribunal Bill of 2011for nearly four months and then sent it back to the Kerala government. The bill should have been sent to the president, instead, for her assent.

Green tribunal seeks details on radiation from thermal power plants

A recent order of the National Green Tribunal could impact the clearances being granted to coal-fired thermal power plants. The tribunal has asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to make a detailed assessment of the supposed radiation caused by the thermal power plants in the country. Last week, the tribunal asked MoEF to get prescribed national standards from Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) within a year on the permissible levels of nuclear radiation in residential, industrial and ecologically sensitive areas.

Green tribunal suspends environmental clearance to Gogte Minerals

The National Green Tribunal has suspended the environmental clearance obtained by a Belgaum-based mining company to extract iron ore from the south Maharashtra sea coast. The tribunal's order was in response to an appeal filed by the affected villagers of Tiroda in Sawantwadi block of Sindhudurg district in May 2011. The principal bench of the tribunal, comprising C V Ramalu and Devendra Kumar Agrawal, found serious procedural lapses in grant of EC by an expert Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to the company, Gogte Minerals.

Nothing official about it

It was the first week of the newly opened National Green Tribunal (NGT) and I was asked to cover it. Excited, I started from my home early to reach the place before the scheduled time. But the plan failed as the building was difficult to locate. Scrutinised every nook and corner of the road connecting to Munirka flyover in South Delhi before I chanced upon a building named Van Vigyan Bhawan. I breathed a sigh of relief while reading National Green Tribunal on a green round plate fixed on the right side of the gate of the Vigyan Bhawan.  

Stay on land allotment for thermal power plant in Sompeta

In a significant shot in the arm for agitating farmers and fishermen, the Andhra Pradesh High Court recently suspended an order issued by the state government alloting 394 hectares (ha) of wetlands for a thermal power plant near Sompeta in Srikakulam district.