Green panel rejects Bharat Coking Coal’s proposal to amend environment clearance

The government’s green panel has disapproved amendments to the environment clearance sought by Bharat Coking Coal for its Jharia Coalfields in Jharkhand due to the absence of forest clearance, as per the official document. The company’s proposal was to amend the existing environment clearance given for the cluster XI group of mines that has a peak production capacity of 6.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and Moonidih water capacity of 1.6 MTPA. The amendment sought was for change in capacities of individual mines in the cluster and lease hold areas for implementation of the master plan.

After examining the proposal, an expert advisory committee (EAC) set up under the Union Environment Ministry disapproved the proposed amendment in the environmental clearance dated August 26, 2013 in view of no forest clearance available for 80.44 hectare of forest land. The committee observed that forest land of 80.44 hectare, being a part of mine lease area and/or mining plan of Moonidih under ground mine of capacity 5.2 MTPA, remains an integral component of the Cluster XI and necessarily requires stage-1 forest clearance for grant of environmental clearance to the said cluster and its amendment therein.

“The same may be exempted only if the mining plan for Moonidih under ground mine is revised to exclude the forest land,” the EAC said in the meeting held last month. The company has sought amendment for increase in capacity of two individual mines namely, Gopalichak Colliery and Kendwadih colliery without any change in combined peak production capacity of 6.6 MTPA, and in the same mine lease area of 3527.58 hectare.

Coal India Ltd