The Rajasthan High Court on Monday ordered Hindustan Salt Ltd to refrain from any further action to set up the 4,000MW solar plant in Sambhar lake in view of the environmental damage and ecological imbalance the project would create.
On December 11, TOI had reported that Sambhar Salt Ltd, the subsidiary of Hindustan Salt Ltd, had invited expression of interest (EoI) from solar power developers for setting up the mega solar plant.
Amicus curiae R B Mathur applied for a stay on the project attaching a copy of the TOI report along with the EoI for the project. “The court took note of the Times of India report published on December 11 and listened in detail to the arguments before passing the order that Hindustan Salt Ltd can receive the applications in response to the EoI but cannot take any further action,” Mathur said. The court was prima facie satisfied with the concerns raised in the application and the TOI report before passing the order, Mathur said.
TOI had reported that over 16,000 acres would be required to set up the 4,000MW plant. This would mean setting up solar panels in large swathes of land. It is feared that such a large-scale project on the wetland could wipe out the ecosystem with all its genetic diversity. Currently, no single entity is responsible for the management of Sambhar. But the multi-departmental Sambhar Development Agency, which is awaiting the law department’s approval, is expected to play a key role in protecting the wetland and creating a sustainable model for development for the benefit of local communities.
A solar project of similar capacity was first proposed by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2013 when he had come to Jaipur to campaign for the party in the run up to the state elections. After Vasundhara Raje came to power, the project was junked as it would damage the wetland’s environment and ecosystem.
