The second half of 2012 will prove critical for the Vizhinjam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) project. The three-season Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project will be completed in July.

Before the port can come up on the 110 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea, the EIA report has to be published and public hearings held. Next, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has to give its nod.

Company violating guidelines, says MoEF panel

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Committee, which visited the mini-hydel power project sites in the Western Ghats following an order of the High Court of Karnataka, has found glaring violation of the Wildlife Act by privately owned Maruthi Power (Gen) India Private Limited (MPIPL).

Seeks talks after court battle lost

Crying “discrimination”, the Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) wants to initiate a fresh dialogue with the environment ministry to arrive at a solution enabling the expansion of its aluminum refinery in Orissa.Vedanta has claimed the ministry discriminated against it by not clearing its Lanjigarh project, while the Jindal Power and Lavasa projects got the green signal.

New Delhi Applying for environment and forest clearances could become easier with the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) saying it would now entertain online applications. Allowing companies to submit project proposals online would also make the process for clearances transparent. Smaller projects that get screened, appraised and cleared by the states will be able to get clearances faster due to the new process.

MUMBAI: With a huge number of proposals pending for environmental clearance, the state government has proposed setting up an additional state-level expert appraisal committee (SEAC). But the Centre is instead pitching for greater speed and transparency. In 2008, the first SEAC was set up, two years after the Centre mandated its appointment. The committee's term ended last year. "There were proposals pending from 2006 for environmental clearance.

A US-based geologist has dismissed Maharashtra government's claim over the safety of the proposed nuclear plant site at Jaitapur, stating that the site is vulnerable to quakes. "Since Jaitapur lies in the same compressional stress regime that has been responsible for generating two major earthquakes at Latur and Koyna in the past five decades it can be argued that a similarly intense quake could possibly occur directly beneath the power plant," Prof Dr Roger Bilham of the University of Colarado said here.

Bhubaneswar: The proposed all-weather multipurpose port near the Subarnarekha river mouth in Balasore district has received environmental clearance of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The project is to be developed by Chennai-based Creative Port Development Limited (CPDL), and a company has been formed under the banner of Subarnarekha Port Private Limited (SPPL).

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has set up the Centre for Mining Area Rehabilitation (CMAR) on the premises of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) to reclaim the land damaged ecologically due to mining.

The institute will be headed by an IFS officer and at present comprises four scientists who will focus on recovering the forest land damaged due to reckless mining.

Various organisations have protested the government’s decision to construct a 30-km road stretching from Thori in Parasi to Triveni in Nawalparasi via the Chitwan National Park (CNP).

The Department of Roads, under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, is planning to construct the postal road through the CNP.

Rampant illegal iron ore mining in Chitradurga and Tumkur districts has caused severe damage to agriculture and horticulture activities, as well as spreading of mining related diseases among the people of the region, a study has found.

The micro-level environmental impact assessment study conducted in the two districts by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) also expressed concern over large-scale damages due to violations of environmental norms.