CONFIRMING violations of environmental clearance conditions reported by The Indian Express last February, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set a four-month deadline for remedial actions and recovering damages from Kulda coal mine run by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) in Odisha and Tamnar thermal plant operated by Jindal Power Limited (JPL) in Chhattisgarh.
On February 4, 2022, The Indian Express had reported on six mega projects where, between 2004 and 2020, stringent clearance conditions to compensate for the high environmental impact were sidestepped, ignored or met only on paper. These were Lower Subansiri and Dibang hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh, the Ken-Betwa River Link in Madhya Pradesh, the Mopa international airport in Goa, the Kulda coal mine in Odisha and Tamnar thermal plant in Chhattisgarh.
