CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the central government and state government on an appeal challenging grant of environmental clearance (EC) for the proposed iron ore pellet plant project undertaken by a private company at Kapand area under Kaptipada tehsil in Sundargarh district.
The NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata issued the notices on the appeal filed by one Chittaranjan Mahanta and other local villagers on Wednesday. Earlier, they had sought NGT’s intervention against the plant proposed over 167 acre land on the ground that the company had undertaken felling of trees for construction activities without environmental clearance.
In August 2021, the tribunal, in an interim order, had directed that no construction and felling of trees shall be made at the proposed site by the company. Later in August 2023, the tribunal directed Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to take a decision on grant of EC to the project within three months.
Mahanta and the villagers filed the appeal after MoEFCC granted EC for the project on May 13 this year. When the appeal was taken up on Wednesday, advocate Sankar Prasad Pani made submissions on behalf of the petitioners.
Taking note of it, B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) directed for listing of the matter on December 18 for hearing along with the replies by the respondents. The bench issued notices returnable within four weeks to MoEFCC, chief secretary of Odisha, additional chief secretary Forest and Environment department, chairman of Odisha State Biodiversity Board and divisional forest officer (Rourkela).
The petition alleged that the proximity of the proposed iron ore pellet plant site to Kukia reserve forest and other forests within 10 km radius poses an ecological risk to the habitat including wild and endangered species of animals.
Industrialisation in the area would have a detrimental impact on the livelihood of the local tribals of this forest. More so, the adjoining forest and human habitation will apparently bear the brunt of the entire pollution load as the land is surrounded on three sides by forest and hillock, the petition alleged.