Mangaluru/New Delhi: A reality check conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed that environmental norms were not adhered to while implementing six Karnataka projects, including the Phase 1 of Mangalore Special Economic Zone and widening of a highway near Surathkal.
It is gathered that these projects were accorded green approval with conditions that the project proponents were to follow to improve the ecological condition of the surrounding areas.
However in gross violation of the conditions the project developers have felled more than the required number of trees for developmental purposes without any approval.
For example, while according approval to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for widening the Kundapura-Surathkal highway it was stipulated that 14,956 trees would be cut. However while implementing the project around 18,400 trees without seeking any approval for felling down more than 3,400 additional trees.
The environment management plan of the first phase of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone project had a capital component of Rs 600 crore and an annual Rs 100 crore revenue expenditure. The money was to be spent on pollution control monitoring system, green belt and social welfare.
However, the project proponent incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 186.71 crore and no revenue expenditure on the EMP, leading to a shortfall of 72% on the money needed for improving the environment, the CAG said in its report tabled in the Parliament on Friday.
The private sector is no better. The environment clearance given to mining projects lists out the conditions on how the over burden dumps are to be managed in an ecologically sustainable manner. But two projects to enhance the iron ore production of M/s V S Lad and Son Iron Ore mine in Ballari and M/s Ashwathnarayana Singh were found gross violators.
In the first project, the mining dumps were not protected against erosion and thick plantation of native trees were not carried out. The violations actually led to the cancellation of the mining lease. In the second project, the dumps were not properly stabilised.
These are among the 352 projects that the CAG examined to check if the project developers followed the environmental clearance conditions while executing their projects.
Other violators from Karnataka are a 1.12 kilo litre per day capacity molasses-based distillery unit of Nirani Sugars Ltd at Bagalkot and Sri Rameshwara Lift Irrigation Scheme of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited in Belagavi.
The distillery unit was found deficient for not installing effluent treatment plants, non-construction of the rain water harvesting system and shortfall in emergency preparedness plan. The lift irrigation scheme on the other hand did not implement the catchment area treatment plan to check soil erosion.
