NEW DELHI: The expansion of Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Energy thermal power plant in Maharashtra has been denied green a clearance by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change after the company failed to submit a report about the impact of a thermal power plant on Alphanso mangoes in the region.
JSW was granted environment clearance in 2007 for setting up a 1,200 MW thermal power plant at Jaigad in Ratnagiri. The plant got an environmental clearance during the tenure of the Congress-led UPA government. Sajjan is the elder brother of Naveen Jindal, industrialist and former Congress MP from Kurukshetra, Haryana.
The condition was that the company will submit a detailed study regarding the impact of the project, if any, on Alphanso mangoes and marine fisheries in the area, which is a major mango growing belt.
While the study remains on paper for the last nine years, none of the governments, including the present NDA, bothered to check on its non-submission.
The company recently approached the environment ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to allow using imported coal having ash content up to 25 per cent, and enhancing its daily coal consumption from 11,000 TPD (tonnes per day) to 14,000 TPD.
In its meeting on July 14-15, JSW Energy informed the committee that the study was started in 2008 but had not been completed.
The condition imposed in 2007 had said: “Additional safeguard measures as may be required will be taken by the proponent with prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. A copy of the report (study) will be submitted to the ministry. The cost towards undertaking the study and implementation of safeguard measures, if any, will be borne by the project.”