PANJIM: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order making Environment Clearance (EC) mandatory for the Vedanta’s beneficiation plants at Codli, which are operating without the requisite clearance.
The Supreme Court has also issued notice to the State government in a civil appeal filed by Vedanta challenging NGT order.
The Goa Foundation had approached NGT pleading that the commencement of the two beneficiation plants at Codli after the closure of mining on March 15, 2018 and after the cancellation of all EC was illegal as Vedanta did not have ECs for them.
The NGT principal bench in its order dated March 4, had noted that as per the EIA Notification, 2006 requirement of prior EC for operating the plants in question is attracted and that the plant in question cannot operate without requisite EC.
The green bench had directed the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the GSPCB to take further remedial action in accordance with this finding to enforce the rule of law.
In a statement issued by Vedanta, it is informed that the Apex Court stayed the order of NGT stopping operation of their beneficiation Codli plants on account of EC requirement.
“Today, the court had heard the Civil Appeal filed by Vedanta and stayed the order of NGT dated March 4, 2021. Court has also issued notice to the parties,” the statement added.
The Goa Foundation in their application before NGT had pointed out that the plants commenced operation after GSPCB granted consent to operate to the firm in September 2019 for the process of 2.1 million tonnes of ore per annum, without requisite EC. The plants were closed and shifted in the 2012 and again closed in 2018 and finally re-started in 2019.
