Developers of infrastructure projects planning to seek environment clearance for their ventures in the coastal Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra would have to wait till June 30, as the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has extended the moratorium in this regard.
On August 16 last year, the ministry, headed by Jairam Ramesh, had imposed a moratorium till December 31, after complaints from local people for clearing power projects of over 33,000 Mw in these districts and other infrastructure projects such as ports and mining.
Due to this order, projects under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 from the ministry and the Maharashtra State Environment Impact Assessment Authority for terms of reference or environment clearance would have to wait for approval.
The ministry had referred the matter to a panel on the Western Ghats, led by environment expert Madhav Gadgil.
Ministry sources said the report was awaited. Ramesh had already sought the Maharashtra government’s assistance in carrying out a capacity study and a cumulative environment impact assessment for Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Raigad districts, where 33,000 Mw of power projects, including a nuclear plant, are being proposed.
Last month, the ministry had laid down 35 conditions and safeguards while issuing an environmental clearance for the 10,000-Mw Jaitapur nuclear power project in Ratnagiri district, to be developed by state-run Nuclear Power Corporation and French energy major Areva. Of these conditions, 12 are general and 23 specific.
