Nirma terms MOEF directions as 'illegal'
In response to a direction by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) to halt work on its cement plant at Bhavnagar district in Gujarat, Nirma Ltd has said that the orders had no binding on the company and termed it as completely "illegal".
March 15, 2011 / 15:35 IST
In response to a direction by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) to halt work on its cement plant at Bhavnagar district in Gujarat, Nirma has said that the orders had no binding on the company and termed it as completely "illegal".
The Ministry had on March 12 ordered "permanent suspension of work" at the 1.91 million tonne per annum capacity cement plant, along with its captive power and coke oven plant near Padhiarka village in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district.It had also directed the company to respond as to "why the environmental clearance accorded to the project should not be revoked and stoppage of the work not be made permanent."On the same day, the company wrote a letter to the Environment Ministry in which it said that the direction under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986, to stop implementation including construction work of the project, was "completely without jurisdiction or authority of law including in violation of the principle of natural justice.""And the same time it cannot bind us at this stage," the letter signed by Vice President Nirma Ltd V N Desai said.Terming the direction by Ministry as ''illegal'' and ''unjust'', the company said it was in process of filing a detailed reply and preparing for a personal hearing. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
