VIJAYAWADA: Sending clear signals that all industries should strictly adhere to pollution norms, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has issued notices to 2,680 mining and industrial projects (existing and ongoing projects) for not submitting two consecutive half-yearly Environmental Clearance (EC) compliance reports to the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
The SEIAA issued Environmental Clearance to 2,839 mining and industrial projects (category ‘B’ projects) between October 2007 and June 2019. Out of the total, 2,680 projects have failed to submit half-yearly EC compliance reports to the SEIAA through online.
As per the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2006, the project proponents should submit their six-month compliance reports to the regulatory authority -- SEIAA/MoEF Regional Office in Chennai on regular basis.
After observing that many of the proponents are not submitting compliance reports in time, the APPCB issued a circular on July 9, 2019 informing that “If project proponent is failed to upload or submit two consecutive half-yearly compliance reports of EC to the authority concerned, action will be initiated for cancellation/revocation of Environmental Clearance.”
When contacted by TNIE, APPCB member-secretary Vivek Yadav said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is keen on environmental protection and issued necessary instructions in this regard after holding a review recently. All the project proponents should adhere to the norms. Growth of industries is a welcome sign for the generation of employment and strengthening the economy of the State. But there should be no compromise on the protection of the environment, he asserted.