Enviornment Ministry clear Jindal Steel project in Orissa

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) Environment Ministry hascleared the Jindal Steel and Power Ltd''s integrated steelplant in Orissa with certain conditions involving mitigationof pollution and earmarking 2 per cent of net profit towardssocial responsibility.

Congress MP Navin Jindal''s integrated steel plant atAngul, which had hit the green hurdle, was cleared by theMinistry after accepting the explanation given by the companyin response to its showcause notice issued on November 22,2010.

Laying down the conditions, the Ministry on February10 directed the company to earmark two per cent of its netprofit for Corporate Social Responsibilities. It also askedthe latter to take continuous monitoring of emissions anddisplay the data on its website.

The Ministry made it clear that the company will haveto inform it for necessary action in case the scope of theproject changed.

In its conditions, the Ministry directed the companyto "install the coal gasification technology using non-cokingcoal for the coke oven plant and adopt the dry quenching ofcoke to conserve water and mitigate pollution."

According to the conditionalities laid down by theMinistry, the fly ash generated from various activities is tobe used in cement and brick manufacturing as well as in backfilling of mined out area.

The Ministry, in its notice had given 15 days time tothe company to respond to as to why environmental clearancefor the 6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) integrated steelplant and 1000 MV captive power plant should not be revoked.

Personal hearing on the case was held on December 29and later, the company also submitted additional documents,based on which the Ministry did analysis of the project. PTITGB