Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has instructed Vedanta Limited to seek approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for changes made to the transportation route used for moving iron ore from its Bicholim Mineral Block-I in North Goa.
The directive came from the NGT’s Western Zone Bench, comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, while hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Sandeep Salekar.
At the centre of the dispute was the route used by the mining company to transport ore from its lease area to the Sarmanas jetty. While most of the route passes through a dedicated mining corridor, a section of the journey involves travel on a public road along MDR-20, crossing several villages in the Bicholim region.
During the hearing, the tribunal examined whether the use of this additional public road segment required a formal revision of the environmental clearance granted to the project.
The Ministry informed the tribunal that the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) had granted temporary permission to the company to use the extended road stretch for ore transportation. Vedanta maintained that these permissions had been renewed periodically and therefore no further environmental approval was necessary.
The tribunal, however, observed that alterations to transportation routes can result in different environmental impacts, particularly in terms of dust, emissions and traffic-related pollution. It noted that such changes should be subjected to proper scrutiny through the environmental clearance process rather than being managed through temporary arrangements.
Holding that a long-term regulatory solution was necessary, the NGT directed Vedanta to submit an application to the MoEF&CC seeking an amendment to its environmental clearance. The company has been allowed to continue using the current route for the next two months while the process is initiated.
The case is linked to operations at Vedanta’s Bicholim mining block, where extraction activities resumed after receiving environmental approval in early 2024. The tribunal’s order is expected to determine how ore transportation from the mine is regulated in the future.
