HYDERABAD: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the ministry of environment and forests has deferred the decision on environmental clearance (EC) for the proposed Hyderabad Pharma City (HPC) project for want of additional information pertaining to environment management and protection. The EAC in its 183rd meeting on January 24, had asked the project proponent Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), to draw up as many as 14 reports to be submitted to it, for taking a decision on the project.
The Pharma City is proposed to be spread over 19,333 acres in Kandukur, Yacharam and Kadthal mandals of Rangareddy district at a cost of Rs 16,784 crore. Some of the reports sought include a detailed post-project monitoring plan, detailed environmental, biodiversity management and water conservation plan and a revised risk management study covering handling of chemicals and their storage including emergency preparedness plan.
The EAC also pointed out that all bulk drug units in the proposed pharma city should have their own effluent treatment plants with zero liquid discharge facility due to high volume of effluent generation, including requirement of reuse of recovered water and not just the common effluent treatment plant as proposed. It may be recalled that the public hearing for the pharma city project in November last in Rangareddy district had witnessed many participants raising the issue of improper records on land being given up by people and of inadequate compensation for the lands lost.
One of the demands was also to conduct land acquisition as per Central government’s Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Minutes of the EAC meeting mentions that state government submitted to EAC that it would provide compensation, due process would be followed as per law made by the state on rehabilitation, pollution control measures, skills of local people would be developed and that all of them would be considered for employment.
Zaheerabad NIMZ project granted ToR
Hyderabad: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of Ministry of Environment and Forests has recommended the grant of Terms of Reference for Zaheerabad National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Sangareddy district. Environment Impact Assessment and Environment Management Plan reports will now be conducted. The EAC added three extra terms of reference for the project on Tuesday.
Plans to convert Aviation SEZ into multi-sector SEZ shot down
Hyderabad: While the state government plans to have two more aerospace industry-specific special economic zones (SEZ) near Hyderabad, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has shot down the proposal of GMR group, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, to alienate a part of land under its Aviation SEZ spread over 235.85 acres at Shamshabad.