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On environmental clearance, National Waterway-1 project caught in tussle between MoEF and Shipping ministry

The MoEF also informed that the EIA notification should be amended to include inland waterways and jetties under the activities that need a prior EC.

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The 1,620- km long National Waterway - 1 (NW1) between Allahabad and Haldia, a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been caught in a tussle between the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Ministry of Shipping (MoS) over the question of environmental clearance (EC) for dredging river Ganga and building jetties. The MoEF has told Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the project proponent of NW1, that maintenance dredging for inland waterway navigation is not exempt from environmental clearance. It said that the exemption cannot be granted as the whole project has not got an EC, as as mandated under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2006, and its amendments.

MoEF also informed, as per the recommendations of an expert committee, that the EIA notification should be amended to include inland waterways, jetties and multi-modal terminals under the activities that need a prior EC. The Shipping ministry has maintained, for nearly two years, that maintenance dredging for navigation of inland waterways does not require an EC under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2006 and it is planning to put forth the matter before the Cabinet, sources privy to developments said.

MoEF conveyed its stand to IWAI on June 19, three months after the matter reached an impasse during a meeting of the Public Investment Board (PIB) on March 6. The PIB chairman, documents show, asked the two ministries to resolve the matter before the proposal for Phase-I of Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) was submitted before the Cabinet.

After the PIB meeting, MoS wrote to environment secretary Ajay Narayan Jha on March 15 and said that it had already justified its stand before the PIB and settled the position on EC. It added that the MoEF's stand, raising a flag for the need of an EC in March, “amounted to giving a new dimension to the matter and was hardly sustainable.” “The matter regarding requirement of EC for JMVP has already been settled on the advice tendered by Ministry of Law and Justice on a reference made by MoEF&CC,” the letter added.

Further, the IWAI chairperson Nutan Guha Biswas too wrote to MoEF on April 13, seeking clarification on the issue.

In this background, the MoEF referred the matter to an eight member expert committee, who heard the matter on May 18. Besides recommending amendment of EIA notification, the committee said the the project should be appraised as a 'Category A' project, so it could be scrutinised by Centre. This would, “address specific issues addressing river as living entity, changing hydrology, riparian rights, transboundary impacts, protection of banks and floodplain zones of the river system, it said.

DNA has reviewed copies of MoEF's June 19 letter, minutes of expert committee meeting , PIB meeting details and letters from IWAI and Shipping ministry seeking clarity on the issue.

The IWAI has maintained that it is only carrying out maintenance dredging to maintain minimum depth of three metres for navigation and not capital dredging which involves touching the river bed. To be sure it is on a strong footing, the environment ministry, meanwhile, has once again sought the opinion of the Law ministry on the issue, sources from the ministry informed.

“As far as the IWAI is concerned, we are absolutely on solid ground regarding environmental laws. The project has gone through various levels of approvals of standing finance committee, where environment ministry did not object earlier. They also submitted in National Green Tribunal last year that dredging and jetties are not covered under EIA,” said Pravir Pandey, Vice-Chairman and Project Director, Jal Marg Vikas Project, IWAI.

Speaking to DNA, MoEF secretary, Ajay Narayan Jha said, “We have referred the views of the ministry and the expert committee to IWAI. Ministry's views have been consistent for the last two years that the EC will have to be taken and this has been clarified to them on a number of occasions. Finally, when they again came back, it was referred to an independent expert committee and they have also said the same thing.

AT A GLANCE
  • The National Waterway-1 under the Jal Marg Vikas Project is proposed to be 1,620 kms between Allahabad and Haldia. It being financed by the Centre and World Bank and the estimated cost is Rs.5369.18 crore
  • In 2015-16, cargo movement on NW-1 was 6.24 million tons
  • The project proposes to build multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Sahibganj, Bihar and Haldia in West Bengal. It will also involve roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry passenger services.
  • Currently, cement, clinkers and coal is being transported on 300-600 ton vessels.

 

 

 

 

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