Environment ministry granted clearance even though mandatory public consultations were not held The National Green Tribunal has suspended the environment clearance granted to the sponge iron plant of Scania Steel and Power Ltd in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had granted environment clearance to the project in 2008 even though the mandatory public hearing was not held for it. Read this special report in Down To Earth.