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National Green Tribunal (NGT) will hear arguments regarding forest clearance to Posco on September 2.
The delay in revalidation of environment clearance for the Posco steel project has thrown a spanner in the start of work by the company even as the Odisha government has completed land acquisition for the first phase of the project over a month back.
The NGT, in its last hearing on August 12, had asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to take a decision on revalidation of green clearance for Posco by August 23. The MoEF on August 23 had said, since Posco has not submitted detailed report for its captive port, it could not provide clearance.
The green court had ordered the company to submit documents pertaining to captive port by August 29. However, since an expert member of the green tribunal remained absent today, the hearing date was deferred.
The MoEF had granted environment clearance (EC) to Posco for a four million tonne per annum (mtpa) steel plant in July 2007 with a five-year validity. Without revalidation of EC, Posco India would not be in a position to start the construction work.
In March 2012, the green court had directed the MoEF to review the environment clearances given to Posco in January 2011 with a host of riders. The tribunal said, the memorandum of understanding between the Orissa government and Posco stated the project was for production of 12 million tonnes of steel per annum (mtpa), but the environment impact assessment report had been prepared for just four mtpa capacity in the first phase.
The company has said, it will start work with 2,700 acre land for the first phase of the steel plant having eight million tonne a year capacity. It will expand the capacity to 12 mtpa as and when it received the rest of the required 4004 acres land.
