Environment and development

The decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to revalidate the environmental clearance issued to South Korean steelmaker Posco for the proposed steel plant in Odisha is based on a piecemeal approach, rather than a comprehensive and cumulative assessment of all parts of the project. Moreover, there is no effort to reach a consensus on the renewal of environmental clearance, now for a production capacity of eight million tonnes per annum, even with conditionalities that include spending on ‘social commitments’ by Posco. Grant of environmental clearance for the steel plant addresses only one of many components of the Posco project — mines, a port, railway lines and a housing facility that are integral to the functioning of the steel plant have been delinked. In the case of the equally high-profile Vedanta bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri in Odisha, the Ministry has deferred to the sentiments of the tribal residents and rejected the bid.