Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Larsen & Toubro Limited Vs Sanghi Industries Limited & Others dated 22/01/2021. The appeal has been preferred against order of August 23, 2019 of the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Gujarat, granting Environmental Clearance (EC) to M/s. Sanghi Industries Limited for setting up a stand-alone cement grinding unit at Survey No. 125/1 and 126/1+2+3, village Shivrampur, taluka Choryasi, district Surat in category 3(b) of Schedule annexed with Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification dated September 14, 2006.

The NGT said that the EC cannot be sustained until the environmental concerns are duly addressed. The court referred issue of assessment of carrying and load bearing capacity of the panchayat road in question and evaluation of EIA and EMP prepared by the project proponent to the EAC of the MoEF&CC dealing with the cement plants, alongwith the representatives of CPCB, NEERI and IIT Mumbai.

The CPCB would be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. Coordination with the EAC may be through the MoEF&CC. The Committee should assess how generation of dust and causing of noise pollution by movement of large number of heavy vehicles would be neutralized, given the carrying and load bearing capacity of the panchayat road in question. The Expert Committee must furnish its report to the Tribunal within three months.