The Environment Ministry on Thursday issued a show cause notice to Mundra Port & SEZ Limited, a private port and special economic zone being developed on the west coast of the country, for alleged violation of the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification. Acting on a complaint of NGO Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan, the ministry asked the port to reply in 15 days why the clearance accorded to the West port and North port and the environmental clearance accorded to the township project by Gujarat State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) should not be cancelled.
The Environment Ministry said a report submitted by its Additional Director A Senthil Vel on December 14, who visited the site following the NGO complaint, indicates that "large scale reclamation using dredged material is being carried out on mangrove area behind the West and North port site".
"A dredging disposal pipeline has been laid in the inter-tidal area carrying the dredged material to the landward side of the port to reclaim the land area on the West and North port side. The pipeline is obstructing the tidal flow due to which the mangroves stretches on the western and northern port side have been seriously affected and at several places the mangroves have dried up," the ministry said citing the report.
"At several places there has been large scale destruction of mangrove areas, especially at the northern port side abutting the dredge disposal pipeline," the ministry said. "The creek systems and the natural flow of seawater is being obstructed by reclamations along the creeks, which is destroying the mangroves at several stretches," it said.
The Environment Ministry pointed out that a sign board at the project site indicating "airport" refers to development of a Mundra aerodrome while development of an airport or aerodrome requires prior environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.
It said the 'Samundra' township set up by the private group, which has been accorded clearance under the EIA Notification by Gujarat SEIAA, is "located in the Coastal Regulation Zone area of the creek and no clearance under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification has been obtained".
The ministry said a hospital named 'Sterling', constructed in the Coastal Regulation Zone area of the same creek, has not obtained clearance under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification.
The ministry also directed the Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority to enquire into and submit a report to it within four weeks regarding the construction of the township and the hospital.
If the report suggests that the activities which have been undertaken or the structures, which were set up or are under construction, are in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone notification, then these would be dismantled, the ministry said.
