New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has ordered OPG Power Gujarat Pvt Ltd to stop all works at its 300 MW Bhadreshwar thermal power plant at Mundra in Gujarat till it gets the requisite environmental clearance. "We have no hesitation to hold that until OPG Power Gujarat Pvt Ltd obtains clearance to use reserve forest land and clearance from the Coastal Regulation Zone Authorities, it cannot go ahead with the project," said a bench of Acting Chairperson Justice A S Naidu and Member Vijai Sharma. The tribunal passed the orders on a bunch of petitions by fishermen, salt pan worker and local residents who assailed the environmental clearance (EC) granted to the OPG by the Gujarat State Level Impact Assessment Authority (GSLIAA) on June 11, 2010 for setting up the plant. They had also challenged the grant of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for use of sea water in the plant, which was granted on September 16, 2011 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). During the hearing, the bench, however, came to know that the OPG's application for obtaining permission to use the forest lands for non-forest purpose has been returned to them. It also noted that on February 6 MoEF had issued a a show cause notice to OPG asking as to why CRZ clearance shall not be kept in abeyance or cancelled. The bench held that project cannot commence activities until prior clearances is obtained from various authorities and admittedly OPG's application for permission to use forest land has been returned. "In the absence of such clearance OPG cannot lay pipe lines (through the forest) which are necessity for commencement of the plant," the bench said. (more) PTI UPT RAX
