NGT dismisses review plea challenging environment clearance given to NPCIL in Haryana

The National Green Tribunal has dismissed a plea challenging the environmental clearance granted to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) for setting up a Nuclear Power Plant in Haryana's Fatehabad district.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said no case is made out for review by raising a contention that there is no preparation of conservation plan for the area.

"If there is a violation of an order of this tribunal, review application is not the remedy. Moreover, the review application is barred by limitation having been filed after more than two years of the order while the limitation provided is 30 days under Rule 22 of the National Green Tribunal (Practices and Procedure) Rules, 2011," the bench said.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by NGO Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha seeking review of the NGT's 2018 order dismissing its petition challenging the environment clearance granted to NPCIL.

The NGO had contended that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project had been carried out without determining its effects on the local environment, humans and the wildlife in the region as well as the neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Delhi.

"While granting the environmental clearance, the Ministry had overlooked the fact that it was subject to clearance from the wildlife angle and that the state government of Harayana was to prepare a conservation plan of the township area in absence of which no construction activity was permitted," the plea said.

The Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna project at the Gorakhpur village will have four units each of 700-MW capacity and is to come up at a cost Rs 23,502 crore.

A total of 1,503 acres of land has been acquired for the plant, of which the lion's share of 1,313 acres belongs to Gorakhpur village. The entire land was acquired from 847 families.