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Ministry of Environment &
Forests (MOEF)
No.
J-11015/233/2008-IA.II(M)
Paryavaran
Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
New
Delhi-110510.
Shri
Malay Kar,
Vice-President
(Coal Mines), Dated:
23rd September 2009
M/s
Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd.,
801,
Sub: Meral Opencast Coalmine Project (0.5 MTPA
over 1021.89 ha of ML area) of M/s Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd., located in
village Meral, Daltonganj Coalfields,
District Palamau, Jharkhand - environmental clearance – reg.
Sir,
This is with reference to letter No.
Nil dated 05.05..2008 for Terms of Reference (TOR) and this Ministry’s letter
dated 19.09.2008 granting the TOR and application for environmental clearance
dated 27.04.2009, and subsequent letters dated 20.07.2009, and 15.09.2009 on
the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has considered
the application. It is noted that the
project is for opening a new Meral
Opencast Coal Mine Project of 0.5
million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to
meet the partial requirement for captive consumption of their linked Sponge
Iron Plant of 0.7 MTPA capacity located in district Saraikela-Karsawan,
Jharkhand. The project involves a total
lease area of 1021.89 ha of which 624.87 ha is agricultural land,
33.85 ha is settlements, area under rivers 80.52 ha, and 280.95 ha is
wasteland. No forestland is involved. A separate township consisting of 50
dwelling units is proposed at a distance of 3 km. There are no National
Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 15 km buffer zone.
The principal drainage of the study area is River Amanant, River Koel and
Jinjoi Nala. River Amanat and Jinjoi Nala flow within the core zone. The quarry
is divided by River Amanat into east and west quarry and joins Jinjoi Nala
within the ML. River Amanat ultimately joins River Koel about a km further
west. It is proposed to divert 1.5 km of Jinjoi Nala, which forms a loop within
the ML and realign it to its original course. NOC from the Minor Irrigation
Department, State Government has been obtained on 16.01.2009. An embankment is
to be provided along River Amanant at specific stretch along the quarries. It
is proposed to divert SH-48 during the 20th year of mining
operation.
The
project is opencast by mechanised method involving shovel-and-dumper. The rated capacity of the mine is 0.5 MTPA
of coal production. Of the total
project area of 1021.89 ha, 566.93 ha is quarry area, 88.51 ha is for external
OB dump, 11.35 ha is for roads & infrastructure, 5.28 ha is nalla
diversion, 82.77 ha is area under River Amanat and Jinjoi Nala, 38.65 ha is for
embankment, 92.34 ha is safety zone, 100 ha is area for resettlement of Meral
village and unworkable patches, and 36.06 ha is for green belt. Transportation
of 1400 TPD of coal from mine to Kajri Railway siding would be by road for a
distance of about 1.5 Km and by thereafter by rail to the linked Sponge Iron
Plant. The feasibility of switch over to closed conveyor-cum rail mode of
transport would be explored. Ultimate working depth of the mine is 76m below
ground level (bgl). Water table is in the range of 7.50-8.20m bgl during
pre-monsoon and 2.5-3.5 m bgl during post-monsoon. Peak water requirement for
the mine is 875 m3/d; which will be met from mine pit water except
for domestic consumption of 30 m3/d, which would be met from ground water. An
estimated 179.01 Mm3 of OB would be generated over the life of mine, of which
155.18 Mm3 would be from the East Quarry and 23.83 Mm3 from the West Quarry. Of
the total OB generated, 33.97 Mm3 of OB (32.85 Mm3 from Eat quarry and 1.12 Mm3
from west quarry) would be dumped in two external
2. The Ministry of Environment &
Forests hereby accords environmental clearance for the above-mentioned Meral Opencast Coal Project of M/s Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd. for
production of coal at 0.5 MTPA annual rated capacity in a total project area of
1021.89 ha under the
Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and subsequent amendments
thereto and Circulars thereto subject to the compliance of the terms and
conditions mentioned below:
A. Specific
Conditions
(i) A
3-tier plantation consisting of native species shall be developed on both sides
of the SH-48 passing the though the lease. Prior approval of the State
Government shall be obtained for diversion of SH-48 during the 20th
year of the mine operation for a length of 1.5 km within the ML area towards
western side of the block without disturbing the traffic flow.
(ii) Mining
shall be done maintaining a minimum statutory distance between the river Amanat
and quarry edge of the East and West Quarries. The plan for diversion and
realignment of the Jinjoi nala and construction of embankment along River
Amanant shall be done in consultation with and prior approval of the concerned
State Flood and irrigation Department before start of the mining activity.
Dimension and depth of the embankment shall be finalised based on the peak flow
of the water and shall be at least 3m above the HFL. The slope of the
embankment shall at least 2:1 towards the ML and shall be stabilised with
plantation.
(iii)
Mining shall begin from the side
of western quarry abutting the NH and the entire coal would be extracted after
start of mining operations and thereafter the quarried area shall be backfilled
immediately, compacted and reclaimed with plantation and if required
surrendered. The statutory distance between the quarry and NH shall be
maintained during mining.
(iv) Topsoil
shall be stacked properly within the ML area with proper slope at earmarked
site(s) and shall be used concurrently for reclamation and development of green
belt of its generation.
(v) OB shall be stacked at earmarked
external
(vi) Catch drains and siltation ponds of
appropriate size shall be constructed to arrest silt and sediment flows from
soil,
(vii) Dimension of the retaining wall at the toe
of the dumps and
(viii)
Drills shall be wet operated.
(ix) Controlled
blasting shall be practiced only during daytime with use of delay detonators.
The mitigative measures for control of ground vibrations and to arrest the fly
rocks and boulders shall be implemented.
(x) Crushers
at the CHP shall be operated with high efficiency bag filters, water sprinkling
system shall be provided to check fugitive emissions from crushing operations,
conveyor system, haulage roads, transfer points, etc. at all times of operation to check
fugitive emissions from crushing operations, transfer points of and from
transportation roads and at Railway Siding.
(xi) The
proponent shall establish a Railway siding at Kajri within 3 years from date of
grant of environmental clearance. The trucks/dumpers from
the mine shall not use the NH and instead shall use an existing road that runs
along north of the lease and cross the NH to reach the Railway Siding for an
initial period of 5 years. Prior permission shall be obtained from NHAI to
construct an underpass or an over bridge to cross the NHAI. The proponent shall simultaneously undertake a feasibility study
for transport of coal to the Railway Siding by closed conveyors to completely
switch to closed conveyor-cum rail mode of transport within 5 years from date
of environmental clearance.
(xii) All approach roads to
the mine and to Railway Siding shall be black topped and internal roads shall
be concreted or black topped. The main approach roads and internal roads shall
be regularly cleaned. A 3-tier avenue plantation using local species shall be
developed along the main approach roads to mine and to Kajri Railway Siding.
Green belt shall be developed using local species all along the periphery of
the mine, along the areas such as crushing unit, transfer units and at Kajri
Railway Siding.
(xiii) Trucks/dumpers engaged
for transportation of coal to Kajri Railway Siding shall be optimally loaded
and covered with tarpaulin with no spillage en route. The trucks shall be
properly maintained and emissions shall be below notified limits.
(xiv) No groundwater shall be used for the mine
operations except for the initial 3 years and limited to domestic use only. Any
additional water requirement envisaged shall be obtained by recycle/reuse to
the maximum extent and from rainwater harvesting measures.
(xv) Industrial wastewater (workshop and
wastewater from the washery) shall be properly collected, treated so as to
conform to the standards prescribed under GSR 422 (E) dated 19th May
1993 and 31st December 1993 or as amended from time to time before
discharge. Oil and grease trap shall be installed for treatment of workshop
effluents.
(xx) Area brought
under afforestation shall not be less than 582.77 ha which includes reclaimed
external
(xxi) A
Progressive Closure Plan shall be implemented by reclamation of quarry area of 566.93 ha ha of which 427.17 ha ha shall be backfilled
and afforested by planting native plant species in consultation with the local
DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees shall be around 2500
plants per ha. The balance decolaed area shall be gently sloped along the upper
benches and stabilised and reclaimed with plantation.
(xxv) Regular
monitoring of groundwater level and quality shall be carried out by
establishing a network of exiting wells and construction of new peizometers.
The monitoring for quantity shall be done four times a year in pre-monsoon
(May), monsoon (August), post-monsoon (November) and winter (January) seasons
and for quality in May and in monsoon. Data thus collected shall be submitted
to the Ministry of Environment & Forests and to the Central Pollution
Control Board quarterly within one month of monitoring.
(xxvi) The
Company shall put up artificial groundwater recharge measures including
rainwater harvesting structures for augmentation of groundwater resource in
case monitoring indicates decline in water table. The project authorities shall
meet water requirement of nearby village(s) in case the village wells go dry
due to dewatering of mine.
(xxvii) ETP shall
also be provided for workshop, and CHP. Effluents shall be treated to conform
to prescribed standards, particularly for pH and TSS in case of discharge into
any watercourse within or outside the lease.
(xxviii) An STP shall
be provided for the township/colony to treat the domestic effluents to
prescribed standards and for their reuse in project activities.
(xxix) An amount not less than Rs. 3 crores as
capital costs and Rs. 2.3 crores (which shall be up scaled after adjusting for
depreciation of the rupee) as revenue costs shall be provided for implementing
environmental measures. The details of the activities
and expenditure made thereon shall be displayed on the company’s website and
updated at least once in six months.
(xxx) R&R for Meral village shall be based on
norms laid down/approval by the State Government and shall not be inferior than
that in the National R&R Policy and shall be completed within a specified
time-frame. R&R shall include specific income
generation schemes. The progress of R&R shall be uploaded on the company’s
website.
(xxxi) The proponent shall
provide Rs. 1.5 crores for revenue expenditure (which
shall be up scaled after adjusting for depreciation of the rupee) towards activities undertaken under CSR. The details of the
activities and expenditure made thereon shall be displayed on the company’s
website and updated at least once in six months.
(xxxii) For
monitoring land use pattern and for post mining land use, a time series of
landuse maps, based on satellite imagery (on a scale of 1: 5000) of the core
zone and buffer zone, from the start of the project until end of mine life
shall be prepared once in 3 years (for any one particular season which is
consistent in the time series), and the report submitted to MOEF and its
Regional office at Bhubaneshwar.
(xxxiii) A Final Mine Closure Plan along with details
of Corpus Fund shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment & Forests
for approval 5 years in advance of final mine closure for approval.
B. General Conditions
(i)
No change in mining technology and scope of working shall
be made without prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
(ii)
No change in the calendar plan including quantum of mineral
coal and waste being produced shall be made.
(iii)
Four ambient air quality
monitoring stations shall be established in the core zone as well as in the
buffer zone for monitoring SPM, RSPM, SO2 and NOx. Location of the stations shall be decided
based on the meteorological data, topographical features and environmentally
and ecologically sensitive targets in consultation with the State Pollution
Control Board. Monitoring of heavy
metals such as Hg, As, Ni, Cd, Cr, in SPM and RSPM etc. shall be carried out at
least once in six months.
(iv)
Data on ambient air quality (SPM,
RSPM, SO2 and NOx and heavy metals such as Hg, As, Ni, Cr, etc) and other
monitoring data shall be regularly submitted to the Ministry including its
Regional Office at Bhubaneshwar and to the State Pollution Control Board and
the Central Pollution Control Board once in six months. Random verification of
samples through analysis from independent laboratories recognised under the EP
Rules, 1986 shall be furnished as part of the compliance report.
(v)
Adequate measures shall be taken for control of noise
levels below 85 dBA in the work environment. Workers engaged in blasting and
drilling operations, operation of HEMM, etc shall be provided with ear
plugs/muffs.
(vi)
Industrial wastewater (workshop and wastewater from the
mine) shall be properly collected, and treated so as to conform to the
standards including for heavy metals before discharge prescribed under GSR 422
(E) dated 19th May 1993 and 31st December 1993 or as
amended from time to time. Oil and grease trap shall be installed before
discharge of workshop effluents.
(vii)
Vehicular emissions shall be kept under control and
regularly monitored. Vehicles used for transportation of the mineral shall be
covered with tarpaulins and optimally loaded.
(viii)
Monitoring of environmental quality parameters shall be
carried out through establishment of adequate number and type of pollution
monitoring and analysis equipment in consultation with the State Pollution
Control Board and data got analysed through a laboratory recognised under EP
Rules, 1986.
(ix)
Personnel working in dusty areas shall wear protective
respiratory devices and they shall also be provided with adequate training and
information on safety and health aspects.
Occupational health surveillance programme of the workers
shall be undertaken periodically to observe any contractions due to exposure to
dust and to take corrective measures, if needed.
(x)
A separate environmental management cell with suitable
qualified personnel shall be set up under the control of a Senior Executive,
who will report directly to the Head of the company.
(xi)
The funds earmarked for environmental protection measures
shall e kept in separate account and shall not be diverted for other purpose.
Year-wise expenditure shall be reported to this Ministry and its Regional
Office at Bhubaneshwar.
(xii)
The Project authorities shall advertise at least in two
local newspapers widely circulated around the project, one of which shall be in
the vernacular language of the locality concerned within seven days of the
clearance letter informing that the project has been accorded environmental
clearance and a copy of the clearance letter is available with the State
Pollution control Board and may also be seen at the website of the ministry of
Environment & Forests at http://envfor.nic.in
(xiii)
A copy of the environmental clearance letter shall be
marked to concerned Panchayat/Zila Parishad, Municipal Corporation or Urban
Local Body and local NGO, if any, from whom any suggestion/representation has
been received while processing the proposal. A copy of the clearance letter
shall also be displayed on the company’s website.
(xiv)
A copy of the clearance letter shall be displayed on the
website of the concerned State Pollution Control Board. The EC letter shall
also be displayed at the Regional Office, District Industry Centre and
Collector’s Office/Tehsildar’s Office for 30 days.
(xv)
The clearance letter shall be uploaded on the company’s
website. The compliance status of the stipulated EC conditions shall also be
uploaded by the project authorities on their website and updated at least once
every six months so as to bring the same in the public domain. The monitoring
data of environmental quality parameters (air, water, noise and soil) and
critical pollutants such as SPM, RPM, SO2 and NOx
(ambient and stack if any) and critical sectoral parameters shall also be
displayed at the entrance of the project premises and mines office and in
corporate office and on the company’s website.
(xvi)
The project proponent shall submit six monthly reports on
the status of compliance of the stipulated environmental clearance conditions
(both in hard copy and in e-mail) to the respective Regional Office of the
MOEF, the respective Zonal offices of CPCB and the SPCB.
(xvii)
The Regional Office of this Ministry located at
Bhubaneshwar shall monitor compliance of the stipulated conditions. The Project
authorities shall extend full cooperation to the office(s) of the Regional
Office by furnishing the requisite data/ information/monitoring reports.
(xviii)
The environmental statement for each financial year ending
31st March in Form-V is mandated to be submitted by the project
proponent tot the concerned State Pollution Control Board as prescribed under
the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, as amended subsequently, shall also
be uploaded on the company’s website along with the status of compliance of EC
conditions and shall be sent to the respective Regional Offices of the MOEF by
E-mail.
3. The Ministry or any other competent
authority may stipulate any further condition for environmental protection.
4. Failure to comply with any of the
conditions mentioned above may result in withdrawal of this clearance and
attract the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
5. The above conditions will be enforced inter-alia, under the provisions of the
Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention
& Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
and the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 along with their amendments and
Rules. The proponent shall ensure to undertake and provide for the
costs incurred for taking up remedial measures in case of soil contamination,
contamination of groundwater and surface water, and occupational and other
diseases due to the mining operations.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director
Copy to:
1. Secretary,
Ministry of Coal, Shastri Bhawan,
2. Secretary,
Department of Environment & Forests, Government of Jharkand, Secretariat,
3. Chief
Conservator of Forests, Regional office (EZ), Ministry of Environment &
Forests, A/3 Chandrashekarpur, Bhubaneshwar – 751023.
4. Chairman,
5. Chairman,
Central Pollution Control Board, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar,
6. Member-Secretary,
Central Ground Water Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, Curzon Road
Barracks, A-2, W-3 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi.
7. District
Collector, Palamau, Government of Jharkhand.
8. Monitoring
File 9. Guard File 10. Record File.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director