The environment minister (Jairam Ramesh) has also stated this very categorically while giving the clearance," said Dr Vivek Bhide, anti-nuclear activist. “Objections to public hearing will also be submitted to the tribunal." The tribunal, set up by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to expedite environment-related cases, started functioning from Monday.
Last December, the Jaitapur project got a green nod with 35 riders. While granting the clearance, the MoEF relied heavily on the biodiversity report prepared by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) as against the EIA report prepared by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
The BNHS report recognised the presence of flora, fauna—both marine and on land—at and around the nuclear plant site, and mapped 407 hectares mangrove vegetation around a 10km radius of the plant area and in some affected villages. Read the full report here.
Source: Snehal Rebello, Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
