The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), under the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF & CC), has deferred the grant of environment clearance to JSW Utkal Steels proposal for an integrated steel plant near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.

The EAC that discussed the project on January 28 has sought additional information from its proponent for further consideration of the proposal. An approval by the EAC is mandatory to go ahead with the project. 

The Sajjan Jindal-led group has planned a 13.2 MTPA crude steel, 900-MW captive power and 10-MTPA cement grinding unit. It has also planned to set up a captive jetty near the plant. The EAC has sought land acquisition details for the proposed project, along with requisite supporting documents, from the company. It asked for the revised plant layout, indicating the exclusion of north-eastern portion, situated towards high tide line and sand dunes existence.

As a patch of forest land exists between the proposed jetty and plant site, the committee has sought details of the forest area and its conservation measures to be adopted.  Among others, the company has also been asked about the details of pending court cases pertaining to the project under consideration, along with its present status, action plan for reuse of water recovered from iron ore slurry and details of 1.3 lakh trees proposed to be felled down and the compensatory afforestation measures to be adopted.

The EAC asked the company to submit an undertaking in a non-juridical stamp paper, stating that no construction activities related to the integrated steel project would be undertaken in the coastal regulation zone area.

Ahead of consideration of the project by the EAC, a group of environmentalists had urged the panel not to give clearance to the proposed steel plant before an independent assessment is carried out to study the project’s health impact.

The EAC decision also came barely a fortnight after people of the area, where the plant is planned by the company, clashed with police, opposing the plant.  Environmentalist Prafulla Samantara, who along with others had urged the EAC not to give clearance to the project, said the EACs decision proves that JSW’s environmental impact assessment report is not based on facts and proper study. The EAC also returned another proposal for expansion of Bhushan Power and Steel Limited at Rengali in Sambalpur district and asked to submit a revised application.