Highly placed sources in the state government said, 'In a recently concluded meeting the Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, which met after almost three years, criticised many companies including the GPCB.'
That Gujarat is losing its natural heritage as big industries openly flout environment rules is a well known fact. But recently more disturbing revelations have come out after the Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), a little known agency which mainly works on paper, slammed leading corporations and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) for violating the norms of the Coastal Regulation Zone Act on the long sea coast of the state.
Almost all the leading companies, which enthusiastically participate in the state government's Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit (VGGIS) events and donate generously to state sanctioned festivals like Vibrant Navratri, top the list of those contravening the CRZ regulation for their respective projects.
Highly placed sources in the state government said: "In a recently concluded meeting the GCZMA, which met after almost three years, criticised many companies including the GPCB."
Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd had constructed and expanded the jetty without prior environmental clearance. The GCZMA observed that due to procedural lapses, the company had committed a mistake and as of now, since all formalities for obtaining clearance under the CRZ Notification was completed, the company has been asked to take up the mangrove plantation.
GCZMA has also objected to the construction of a sinter plant, blast furnace, etc. before obtaining the CRZ clearance by Essar Steel Ltd's Hazira plant and ordered the GPCB to file a case against the company under section 19 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The Authority observed that Essar Steel Limited and Essar Group companies had started construction activity in CRZ area at Hazira. It was informed that the said construction was related to Essar's Lime Plant, Oxygen Plant, Labour Colony, etc in CRZ area without the latter's clearance. Also, the Authority was appraised about the action taken by the department and the reply submitted by the company mentioning that they had not carried out any construction in a CRZ area.
This reply differed from the observation of the Department. Further, it was brought to the notice of the Authority that the company's compliance of the various directions and provisions of the CRZ Notification was not good and found to be violating the norms continuously.
The company has accepted that it was a lapse on their part and gave an assurance that they were ready to take up mangrove plantation in another area of 500 hectares in consultation with the Department of Forests and Environment and GEC.
The authority also took serious note of the CRZ violation by L&T in Hazira and directed it to carry out mangrove plantation and bio-shielding in 100 ha of the land.
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