Green hurdles for 16 coal blocks cleared

[Mrudul Godbole]

'Green hurdles for 16 coal blocks cleared'
TNN, Feb 16, 2011, 03.06am IST

NEW DELHI: Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh would dilute environmental norms to allow 16 coal projects to take off, coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said on Tuesday.

Jairam Ramesh had not taken a decision by the evening but he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apprising him of the meeting between the two. The environment ministry had created a Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index -- a measure of overall pollution intensity in an area. Ramesh had put a moratorium on any new industrial activity in areas where the CEPI was breaching a certain level.

Jaiswal, in an interview to NDTV, claimed that Ramesh had agreed to up the limit for such a moratorium that would allow 16 of Coal India Limited's projects in seven blocks to take off.

Ramesh in his letter to the PM did not refer to changes in the benchmark but indicated that the moratorium could be lifted after March 31.

Speaking to TOI, Ramesh said, "Out of 43 critically polluted sites (where moratorium had been imposed initially), five had been taken off the moratorium list. Action plans for improving environment had been received for another 33 so there is no problem in lifting the moratorium there as well by March 31."

Ramesh had earlier ordered that the moratorium would continue till the state governments presented a plan of action to reduce the pollution loads and the Centre approved them.

In the interview, Jaiswal suggested Ramesh had agreed to diluting the norms. But Ramesh told TOI that the ban could be lifted and the coal projects take off with the state governments meeting his requirements in all but five sites -- one in Chhattisgarh, three in Rajasthan and one in Delhi.

In his letter to the PM, Ramesh continued to state that `environmental norms were not the reason for shortfall in coal production'.

Only two projects were pending before him for forest clearance and 11 for environmental clearance. He noted that there were projects asking for expansion but currently under-producing and others, which were illegally extracting more than what was permitted and which were now asking for retrospective clearance.

Link - 'Green hurdles for 16 coal blocks cleared' - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Green-hurdles-for-16-coal-blocks-cleared/articleshow/7503934.cms#ixzz1EQj3EwC5)

[Atul Potdar]

Mrudul,

Which are these 16 coal blocks ?

[Mrudul Godbole]

7 Apr, 2011, 12.28AM IST,ET Bureau
Coal blocks part of 11th and 12th plan may go unhindered

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission has said that steps for ensuring domestic coal production for the Eleventh and Twelfth Plan period should be allowed to go unhindered.

This forms part of the recommendations of the Plan panel submitted to the Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee , which is considering environmental concerns relating to coal mining and other developmental issues. The ministerial panel is meeting on Thursday. This is the second meeting of the 12-member ministerial group. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh was expected to make his presentation addressing the concerns articulated by infrastructure ministries at the group's first meeting in January.

The Planning Commission has argued that the development of a coal block takes roughly four to five years, therefore coal blocks which form part of the production plan for the Eleventh and Twelfth Plans must be "cleared forthwith". It has suggested that the Environment and Coal Ministries should undertake an analysis of the coal bearing areas and plan for the periods subsequent to the Twelfth Plan.

While planning beyond the Twelfth Plan, it has suggested that areas which have dense forests should normally be excluded from mining and be fully protected. In areas with poor quality forests, it has suggested that mining be allowed without delay. The Plan panel has been critical of the Environment Ministry's policy directive on clusters with high Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index.

The Ministry and Central Pollution Control Board had identified 43 clusters with CEPI score of more than 70. The Ministry had imposed a moratorium on expansion and new projects in these critically polluted areas till a plan to improve environmental indices was prepared and put in place for these clusters. Seven coalfields fall within critically polluted areas on which a moratorium was imposed. These are Angul-Talcher (CEPI of 82.09), Ib Valley (74), Asansol (70.2), Chandrapur (83.88), Korba (83), Dhanbad (78.6) and Singrauli (81.73). As of now, the Environment Ministry has lifted moratorium only on Angel Talker. The Planning Commission is of the view that such a policy has "detrimental effect" on the overall energy needs. "by prohibiting production through expansion of coal mines and fix up norms which result in non-opening of new mines cause major deficiencies in the energy availability of the country and impact the pace of long term growth". The Plan panel has suggested "mitigation measures" as instruments for reducing pollution rather not allowing for production capacities.


These arguments buttress the claims of the infrastructure departments. Led by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal , ministers heading infrastructure departments have maintained that the Environment Ministry's action would jeopardise growth. The Coal Ministry has argued that the classification would adversely affect coal production to the tune of 660 million tonnes per year. This, the Power Ministry claims, would affect 1,30,000MW of power capacity for the future. Similarly, the Steel Ministry raised the issue of the large number of projects that have been stalled on account of these projects.

Citing India's growth imperative, these ministers are in fact pushing for a regime that would give them a carte blanche to do away large sections of forests in favour of "development projects". This would violate the Forest Conservation Act in spirit and intent. The Environment Ministry has argued forests in the "no-go" areas are rich repository of biological wealth, allowing for mining in these areas will have "avoidable serious adverse effects" on forests and wildlife.