The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has suspended the environmental clearance for an industrial estate project proposed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) in Soorapoondi and Vaniamallee villages near Gummidipoondi.
The ruling came after the Bench found that SIPCOT had split the large-scale project into smaller components to bypass comprehensive environmental scrutiny.
The Bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, said the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted for the project did not adequately address the cumulative environmental impact of the entire development.
It pointed out that the EIA failed to consider the broader environmental and socio-economic consequences, such as the effects on biodiversity, water resources, air quality, and local communities.It observed that such omissions could lead to long-lasting and significant harm to the region’s ecosystem, which includes sensitive areas near Soorapoondi, Vaniamallee, and surrounding villages.
In its order issued on January 28, the Bench called for a proper cumulative impact assessment to evaluate the combined effects of multiple ongoing projects in the area. The Bench said that this oversight compromised efforts for effective environmental protection.
As a result, the Bench directed that environmental clearance should be reconsidered, particularly since the original clearance, granted in November 2020, is already under review by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Further, the bench recommended that Sipcot include the cumulative impact assessment in its broader planning, especially if future phases of the project are planned. It advised Sipcot to submit a comprehensive study of the combined environmental effects before proceeding with any further development. Until this assessment is completed, the environmental clearance remains suspended, placing the project on hold.
Published – January 31, 2025 12:57 am IST