Khadia Opencast Coal Mine Expansion Project, located in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh and Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh and operated by Northern Coalfields Ltd, has not fully complied with several conditions for environmental clearance (EC). This was stated in a report filed by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) May 13, 2025.
In 2022 and 2024 two expansion environmental clearances were granted to the project. In accordance with the standard operating procedure, MoEFCC asked the regional office of MoEFCC at Lucknow on September 13, 2024 to furnish a factual status report detailing condition-wise compliance status report for the ECs associated with the project.
Pursuant to the ministry's letter, the Lucknow office conducted a site inspection on November 27 and 28, 2024. An inspection report was submitted, stating that several conditions of the EC were either partially complied or not complied by the project proponent.
The regional office conducted another site visit on March 17-18, 2025. The report mentioned continued non compliance without much improvement in compliance status of some of the major conditions.
The continued non-compliance for EC conditions, which were reported as 'partly complied' / 'not complied', included non-maintenance of the garland drain.
Further, the green belt had not been developed according to the EC condition on the overburden dump. Pucca road had not been constructed to control dust emissions within the lease area. Three-tier plantation along the major road had not been developed.
Other EC norms flouted included mismanagement of the overburden dump, which was found to be “not up to the mark”. Cleaner fuel has not been used in the dumpers / trucks. The status of hazardous waste management such as oil containers and sludge from effluent treatment plant was very poor.
Further, ETP sludge was being disposed of with overburden dump without consulting with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board / Central Pollution Control Board.
The case related to mismanagement of waste at a dumping ground located at Debendra Chandra Nagar, Agartala, Tripura has been listed for disposal on July 31, 2025. This was stated in the order passed by NGT May 15, 2025.
Both Agartala Municipal Corporation and Tripura State Pollution Control Board have filed their reports in the matter.
The matter related to a dumping ground of the Agartala Municipal Corporation under the name of ‘Waste Processing Centre’, with the object of processing waste materials and garbage of the city of Agartala. The complaint was that the location of the landfill is inappropriate due to its proximity to residential zones, a government primary school and open farmland in the area. The waste disposal site is also next to an Indian Oil gas bottling facility.
It was also alleged that garbage is being burnt in the open, causing severe air pollution and thereby making it hazardous to the life of the local residents. Smoke, stench and obnoxious odour also emanates from the dumping ground located at Debendra Chandra Nagar.
The Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules 2000 and other environmental laws, including the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, have not been complied with, according to the application.
The photographs filed with the application presented a dismal picture of the entire landscape, caused solely due to the untreated municipal solid waste.
The application was decided and disposed of by the tribunal via order dated February 9, 2023. The court had noted in that order that in the reports, no timelines have been given for completion of bio-mining / bio-remediation of the legacy waste at Debendra Chandra Nagar dumpsite.
The court had directed the Agartala Municipal Corporation to file a status report / affidavit of compliance in the matter by December 31, 2024. The court had also ordered the Tripura State Pollution Control Board to ensure that the waste processing plant is activated and made functional for processing of solid waste at Debendra Chandra Nagar. The board will need to submit a status report / compliance affidavit with the information, along with completion timelines.
A two-member fact finding committee was directed by NGT May 15, 2025 to probe allegations of illegal felling of trees within the Badapari demarcated protected forest (DPF) in Khordha district, Odisha.
The committee would comprise the collector and district magistrate and divisional forest officer (DFO) of Khordha. They have been directed to visit the site and submit a fact-finding report, said the order passed by the eastern bench of NGT.
NGT directed a notice to be issued to MoEF&CC, deputy director-general of forests and Odisha Biodiversity Board, as well as two people responsible for grabbing forest land.
The applicant, Giri Gobardhan Forest Committee, had alleged illegal felling of trees over an area of around 5 acres within the Badapari Demarcated Protected Forest (DPF) in Mouza-Badapari, under Tangi tehsil of Khordha. It was further alleged that some people are setting fire in the forest to grab ownership of the land.
It was stated that the forest is spread over an area of more than 700 acres. The forest has dense vegetation and is home to wild animals such as sambar, rabbit, khuranga, peacocks, deers, wildboars, jungle cats, pangolin, elephants and various types of snakes and birds.
The forest is also a treasure of medicinal plants and local healers use these herbs to cure different types of diseases, the applicant noted. So, the site is equally important from the perspective of biodiversity.