Mining company misled Centre to get nod

KOZHIKODE: For securing environmental clearance for the controversial Chakkittapara iron ore mining project, Karnataka-based mining major, MSPL Ltd has furnished incorrect and misleading information in its application to the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF).
In a letter to the MoEF in March 2016, the company has stated that that there was no wildlife sanctuary within 15km from the proposed mining lease area.But the reserve forest land where the mining site is located is contiguous to the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The misleading information was furnished in reply to the details sought by the director (non- coal mining) of MoEF on March 16, 2016 on details of protected areas, viz, national park, sanctuary, habitat for migratory birds near the proposed mining lease area. The reply by given by Meda Venkataiah, executive director of MSPL on behalf of the company. In the documents of the company, the project is officially mentioned as Alampara iron ore project.
The 74-sqkm sanctuary is a biodiversity hot spot harbouring 69 species of threatened plants apart from many endangered fauna. The project is proposed to come up on 406.45 hectares in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats landscape.
Kozhikode divisional forest officer (DFO) K K Sunilkumar said that the proposed mining site at Chakkittappara is part of the Peruvannamuzhi reserve forest which shares boundary with the sanctuary formed in 2010. "The information furnished by the company is wrong as the area shares border with the sanctuary," he said.
Forest department sources said the ministry would crosscheck with the state forest authorities before giving the clearance and the misinformation could be brought to it attention.
The Chakkittapara panchayat had last week rejected the request from the company for sanctioning the project. The panchayat turned it down on the ground that mining would cause irreparable environmental damage in the area and was against public interest.
The area was designated as an environmentally sensitive zone by the Kasturirangan panel.
The previous UDF government had in 2013 cancelled the 'in- principle approval' for granting the mining lease for the company on the basis of the report by Kozhikode district collector that the proposed mining would adversely affect the ecology and human settlement in the area.
However, the high court had in February 2016 set aside the government order withdrawing the 'in- principle approval' citing that MSPL was not given sufficient opportunity to contradict the findings of the report.
The Chakkittapara mining project involves setting up a 5 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) iron ore mine and 1.8 MTPA beneficiation plant.
The company was granted prior approval for mining at Chakkittapara, Mavoor and Kakkur in the district in 2010 for a period of 30 years.
Meanwhile, Venkataiah defended the company's claims saying that there were hills and two valleys between the proposed mining site and the forests and the details regarding same have been furnished in the letter to the ministry.
According to conservationists, the proposed site was also the catchment area of Peruvannamuzhi reservoir and mining activity in the area would lead to severe ecological damage and pollution of water sources.