Posco hits another green hurdle, National Green Tribunal slaps notices

BHUBANESWAR: In what appears to be a setback to the Posco’s dream 12-million ton steel project, the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday issued notices to the union ministry for environment and forest (MoEF), Orissa government, Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and Posco India asking about the circumstances under which environmental clearance was given to the South Korean company’s proposal for the largest FDI project and a captive port in Jagatsinghpur district.

The tribunal has directed the respondents to file their replies within four weeks and has fixed September 8 as the next date for hearing. The Tribunal’s order came in response to a petition filed by environmentalist Prafulla Samantray challenging the MoEF decision to accord environmental clearances to the steel and port projects of Posco India.

Citing the reports of the Meena Gupta committee as well as the Saxena committee, Mr Samantray has pleaded before the Tribunal that the impact of Posco project over the environmental impact of the two projects would be enormous. Even as MoEF formed both the committees, it accorded the environmental clearances overlooking their observations, Mr Samantray in his petition pointed out.

It may be recollected that in May and June 2007 that MoEF had cleared the port and the plant proposals. Subsequently, the MoEF sent two expert teams, one headed by Mr Ashis Kothri and the other by Ms Meena Gupta, to the project sites, in the wake of a spate of petitions from various quarters, including the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) and environmentalists, Prafulla Samantray and Biswajit Mohanty. The MoEF on January 31, 2011, accorded environmental clearance to the plant with 28 conditions and the port with 32 conditions after receiving the reports.

Meanwhile, the local villagers continued to oppose the proposed project as some six lakh trees had to be cleared and 1600 betel vines destroyed. Villagers apprehend that the felling of huge number of tress would exposed them natural disasters, like Cyclone and Tsunami. Officials are trying hard to convince them that trees would be planted and a green cover would be created.

Jagasighpur district collector, Narayan Chadra Jena said that tree would be cut down after discussion with local villagers. “The government would follow the guidelines of the MoEF”, he added.