Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) was granted environmental clearance to utilize bamboo as main biomass for producing bioethanol at Owguri Chapori village in Golaghat, Assam.
A plea challenging the environmental clearance has prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek response from the Centre and State Government.
Justice Jawad Rahim heading the bench issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Assam Government, State Pollution Control Board and Numaligarh Refinery Limited and sought their reply by February 21.
Wildlife Activist Rohit Choudhury who challenged the clearance, sought revision of clearance granted to the project on November 2, 2016.
The plea claimed the proposed project fell in the no development zone of the Kaziranga National Park. An Environment Impact Assessment Report has been prepared in complete violation of the EIA Notification, 2006.
“The Project Proponent has not complied with the Terms of reference (TOR) provided by the Environmental Assessment Committee while preparing the EIA Report. The project lies within the no development zone of the Kaziranga National Park and the presence of such industries in such an ecologically sensitive zone can affect the ecological balance of the area entirely threatening the lives of all the flora and fauna in the area,” said the plea.
The petition contended that the proposed project has not been placed before the Task Force Committee, constituted by the Assam government for implementation of the no development zone notification.
“Direct that a through an independent and comprehensive impact assessment to study the impact of the proposed project on the proposed area and appraise the project afresh,” the plea said.