No.J-11015/756/2007-IA.II(M)
Government
of
Ministry
of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran
Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
Dated: 13th
March 2008
To
Shri R.K.
Kapur,
Authorised
Signatory,
M/s Usha Martin Ltd.,
701,
Surya Kiran,
19
Kasturba Gandhi Marg,
New
Delhi-110001.
Sub: Lohari Opencast Coal Project (0.2 MTPA) of M/s Usha Martin Ltd.,
located in villages Lohanra, Kathautia, Gareiadih, Garikhas, Tehsil Patan,
District Palamau, Jharkand - environmental clearance – reg.
Sir,
This is with reference to your
letter No. Nil dated 27.06.2007 along with your application and subsequent
letters dated 27.09.2007, 23.10.2007, 03.01.2008, and 17.01.2008 on the
above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has
considered your application. It has been
noted that the project is for opening a new Lohari Opencast Coal Mine Project
of 0.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The total lease area is 450 ha of which 32.67 ha is agricultural
land and 372.33 ha is wasteland. No forestland is involved. There are no
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 10 km
buffer zone. A number of Protected Forests are found within the 10km buffer
zone. A number of water courses flow adjoining (Durgawati nala), close to (
2. The Ministry of Environment &
Forests hereby accords environmental clearance for the above-mentioned Lohari Opencast Coal Project of M/s Usha Martin Ltd. for production of coal
at 0.2 MTPA annual rated capacity in a total lease area of 450 ha under
Section 12 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and
subsequent amendments thereto and under Para 2.1.1 of MOEF Circular dated
13.10.2006 subject to the compliance of the terms and conditions mentioned
below:
A. Specific Conditions
(i) Mining
shall be carried out as per statuette at a safe distance from Durgawati nala,
(ii) The
plan for diversion and rechanneling/realignment of the nala and modification of
the natural surface drainage and design of the diversion canal shall be done in
consultation and approval of the concerned State Flood and irrigation
Department. Dimension and depth of the nala should be finalised based on the
peak flow of the water.
(iii) Diversion of Hathikhar nala flowing
across the lease shall be realigned to its original course at the edge of the
lease boundary. Regular desilting of the channels and
drains should be undertaken.
(iv) The
embankment along the Durgawati nala, and Hathikhar nala shall be designed
taking into account the highest flood level, based on past data, along the
quarry area so as to guard against mine inundation. Channel sides shall be
stabilised with geotextile or any suitable material and stone pitching. The
slope of the embankment shall at least 2:1 towards the ML and shall be
stabilised by plantation. The height of the embankment shall be at least 3 m
higher than the HFL. A minimum 100m distance shall be
maintained between the
(v) A minimum 55 m
distance shall be maintained between the mine and the
(vi) Topsoil shall be stacked properly with
proper slope at earmarked site(s) and shall not be kept active and shall be
used for reclamation and development of green belt.
(vii) OB shall be stacked at earmarked external
(viii) Catch drains and siltation ponds of
appropriate size shall be constructed to arrest silt and sediment flows from
soil,
(ix) Dimension of the retaining wall at the
toe of the dumps and
(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.
(xi) Drills
shall be wet operated.
(xii) 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.
(xiii) The 3 km road used for
mineral transportation to railway siding shall be metal topped and avenue
plantation developed all along. The roads would be swept by mechanical
sweepers.
(xiv) Area brought under
afforestation shall not be less than 342.82 ha which includes reclaimed
external OB dump (51.34 ha), backfilled area (266.56 ha), along ML boundary,
along roads (3 ha), embankment (12.55 ha), green belt (9.37 ha), in undisturbed areas and in colony within the
mine lease area by planting native species in consultation with the local
DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees shall be around 2500
plants per ha.
(xv) A Progressive Closure Plan
shall be implemented by reclamation of quarry area of 266.56 ha which 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 20.44 ha of decolaed area being converted into
a water reservoir shall gently sloped along the upper benches and stabilised
and reclaimed with plantation.
(xvi) A
Conservation Plan for endangered species found in and around the project area
shall be formulated and for the medicinal plants (in-situ and ex-situ) shall be
prepared and implemented in consultation with the
(xvii) Additional
water required, if any, shall be met by recycling/reuse of the water from the
existing activities and from rainwater
harvesting measures.
(xviii) 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. 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.
(xix)
The Company shall put up
artificial groundwater recharge measures for augmentation of groundwater
resource. The project authorities shall meet water requirement of nearby
village(s) in case the village wells go dry due to dewatering of mine.
(xx) 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 water course outside the lease.
(xxi) An
STP shall be provided for the township/colony to treat the domestic effluents
to prescribed standards and for their reuse in project activities.
(xxii) R&R 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 provide for a minimum
outlay of Rs. 23 crores and shall include specific income generation schemes.
In addition, Sika and Khurd villages of Patan Block shall be adopted for
socio-economic and welfare measures.
(xxiii) 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.
(xxiv) 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. The Final
Plan shall minimise the area to 8.62 ha and depth of
void left as water reservoir.
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 excavation, quantum of mineral coal and waste 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 SPM, RPM and NOx monitoring.
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.
(iv)
Fugitive dust emissions (SPM and
RPM) from all the sources shall be controlled regularly monitored and data
recorded properly. Water spraying arrangement on haul roads, wagon loading,
dump trucks (loading and unloading) points shall be provided and properly
maintained.
(v)
Data on ambient air quality (SPM,
RPM and NOx) shall be regularly submitted to the Ministry including its
Regional Office at Bhubaneshwar and to the State Pollution Control Board and to
the Central Pollution Control Board once in six months.
(vi)
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.
(vii)
Industrial wastewater (workshop
and wastewater from the mine) 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 before discharge of workshop
effluents.
(viii)
Vehicular emissions shall be kept
under control and regularly monitored. Vehicles used for transporting the
mineral shall be covered with tarpaulins and optimally loaded.
(ix)
Environmental laboratory shall be
established with adequate number and type of pollution monitoring and analysis
equipment in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board.
(x)
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
and records maintained thereof.
(xi)
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.
(xii)
The funds earmarked for
environmental protection measures shall be 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.
(xiii)
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.
(xiv)
A copy of the will be marked to
concerned Panchayat/ local NGO, if any, from whom any suggestion/representation
has been received while processing the proposal.
(xv)
State Pollution Control Board
shall display a copy of the clearance letter at the Regional Office, District Industry Centre and
Collector’s Office/Tehsildar’s Office for 30 days.
(xvi)
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.
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.
(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