The environmental clearance has been granted despite studies highlighting serious concerns about the project’s impact on the socio-economic and health conditions of villagers, hydrology, and carrying capacity, suggest government records.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the Centre for granting clearance again despite the NGT having previously quashed the earlier approval.

“Another day passes and new instances of Modani flouting laws surface. In January 2024, after years of protests by local community members, the National Green Tribunal quashed the environmental clearance granted to a coal mine project developed and operated by the Modani Group in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district. One of the key reasons for cancelling the environmental clearance was that the public hearing held for the project in 2019 was not in accordance with the law.

“In August 2024, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change granted another environmental clearance to the same project. The clearance was based on the same public hearing that the NGT had flagged, a flagrant indifference to the Court’s objections,” Ramesh posted on X.

According to the minutes of the 13th Expert Appraisal Committee (coal mining sector) meeting, the ministry had granted environmental clearance to the project on July 11, 2022, which was subsequently challenged in the National Green Tribunal’s Bhopal bench.

On January 15 this year, the tribunal quashed the environmental clearance, citing concerns related to the public hearing conducted on September 27, 2019, the carrying capacity study, the hydrology study, and non-consideration of a report on health impacts.

The project proponent on February 24 requested the ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to consider their proposal in its upcoming meeting. It also filed a civil appeal before the Supreme Court but later withdrew it on March 15.

The EAC discussed the proposal in its meetings dated March 21, May 8-9, and July 1-2.

In the latest meeting, the EAC considered the information submitted regarding the procedure followed for the public hearing, a site visit report by a sub-committee, a socio-economic report, and studies on carrying capacity and hydrology.

According to the minutes of the meeting, a representative of the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board informed the EAC that the public hearing was conducted in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006.

The hearing took place at the Government Primary School Ground in Dolesara, Tamnar, Raigarh, with around 1,000 people in attendance. The process was smooth, and 58 participants shared their views and signed the attendance register. Most participants supported the project, according to the CECB representative.

Further, a socio-economic study conducted by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) suggested that 60 percent of the villagers will have to be relocated, and their employment will be impacted.

According to the study, villagers living near mining sites expressed concerns about the project, citing harm to their traditional livelihoods, especially among SC and ST women who previously relied on forest resources for crafts like bamboo baskets and leaf plates.

One of the most significant impacts of resettlement is the disturbance of the social fabric. A plan must be developed to preserve spatial and cultural practices in the new geography. The sanctity of religious places, not just the sanctum sanctorum, needs to be upheld, the study noted.

“This is a sensitive area particular for tribals as they tend to have multiple deities and have spatial conditions for them… Since the mine would bring a large multicultural population from outside these villages, the demography of the area changes, disturbing the social fabric,” it said.

Piyush Kumar Sinha from EDII, however, informed the EAC that the villagers largely support the project due to the anticipated benefits of financial compensation, improved livelihoods, and enhanced infrastructure, and they want the project to begin as soon as possible.

According to an “Anticipated Health Impact Assessment” conducted by CSIR-CIMFR, the project may cause water contamination, loss of soil fertility, food contamination, and disruption of local ecosystems.

A carrying capacity and cumulative impact assessment study by IIT-Patna found that while pollution levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are within safe limits, the level of particulate matter (PM) is nearing the maximum allowed for an industrial zone.

Particulate matter could potentially hit its peak level in the future because of buildup, it said.

The EAC recommended the project, emphasizing the need to preserve the local social fabric and protect cultural and religious beliefs in the resettlement and rehabilitation plans.

It asked the project proponent to prepare and implement a mitigation plan based on the socio-economic report from EDII within six months.

Against a budget of Rs 45.35 crore for addressing public health issues over five years, the EAC said the PP must ensure sufficient funds for at least ten years.

Separate audited accounts must be maintained, and all recommendations from the Socio-Economic and Social Impact Assessment study must be complied with within a strict time frame, the committee said.