BY
SPEED POST
No. J-11015/206/2009-IA.II (M)
Government of India
Ministry of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhavan,
C.G.O. Complex, Lodi Road,
New Delhi-110 003.
Dated the 6th
July, 2011
To
603, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 006
Subject: Arungal Limestone
Mine of M/s Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd., Village Arungal, Taluk and
District Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu -Environmental clearance regarding.
Sir,
This has reference to your letter No.
Chettinad Cement/Arungal Mines/EC/1243 dt. 1.9.2010 on the subject mentioned above. Subsequent
letters Chettinad Cement/Arungal Mines/EC/2383 dt.15.2.2011 and 30.3.2011 were
also considered.
2. The
proposal is for opening of a new mine for production of 0.8 million TPA of
limestone and marl put together (0.56 MTPA limestone + 0.24 MTPA marl) for
their captive use. The mine lease area is 67.73 ha. No forestland is involved. Latitude- 110
00? 48.2? to 110 01? 25.7? and longitude - 790 05? 07.6?
to 790 05? 41.3?. Mine
working will be opencast mechanized involving drilling and blasting. Life of the mine is 13 years. Ultimate working depth will be 18 m bgl. Mine working will not intersect groundwater
table. It is estimated that 2.759
million m3 of waste material will be generated during the mine
life. The OB would be dumped in non
mineralized area adjoining to the mine lease which is in the possession of the
proponent. Backfilling will start from 2nd year and the temporary
dump will be liquidated. The water
requirement for the mine is estimated as 40 kld, which will be met from bore
well and mine pit seepage water. There
is no settlement within the core zone. No national park/wildlife
sanctuary/biosphere reserve/tiger reserve/elephant reserve etc are reported
within 10 km of the project, however,
the Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is at a distance of 7 km. Public hearing has been held on 27.8.2010. Cost of EMP will be Rs.
0.0725 crore
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(Capital) and Rs.
0. 0475 crore per annum. CSR budget will be Rs. 0.0525 crore. Cost of the project will be Rs. 12.00 Crores.
3. The
terms of reference for the project were issued on 26.10.2009 for preparation of EIA and
EMP. The Public hearing was held on 27.8.2010 in Village Arungal, Taluk and District Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. The Mining Plan was approved by IBM on 18.8.2009. Letter of intent for grant of mine lease
was issued on Lr No. 10047/MMI/2008 dt. 1.6.2009 by Deptt. of
Geology and Mines, Govt. of Tamil Nadu.
4.
The proposal has been considered by the Expert Appraisal Committee for Mining
based on the project documents and has recommended for the grant of environmental
clearance for the said new Limestone mining project. Accordingly, the Ministry
of Environment and Forests hereby accords environmental clearance to the said
project under the provisions of Environment Impact Assessment Notification,
2006 subject to strict compliance of the terms and conditions as follows:-
A. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS:
(i)
The
project proponent shall obtain Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate from the Tamil Nadu State
Pollution Control Board and effectively implement all the conditions stipulated
therein.
(ii)
Environmental
clearance is subject to final order of the Hon?ble Supreme Court of India in
the matter of Goa Foundation Vs. Union of India in Writ Petition (Civil) No.
460 of 2004, as may be applicable to this project.
(iii)
Requisite
prior clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife
shall be obtained, due to location of the mine lease within 10 Km of the Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary , before starting any activity relating to the project
at site. All the conditions stipulated by the Standing Committee shall be
effectively implemented in the project. It shall be noted that this clearance
does not necessarily implies that wildlife clearance shall be granted to the
project and that your proposal for wildlife clearance shall be considered by
the competent authorities on its merit and decision taken. The investment made
in the project, if any based on environmental clearance granted to the project,
in anticipation of the clearance from wildlife
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clearance shall be entirely at the cost and risk of the project
proponent and Ministry of Environment and Forests shall not be responsible in
this regard in any manner.
(iv)
Environmental
clearance is subject to obtaining prior clearance under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972 from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu for operating
the mine at a distance of 7.00 Km from the sanctuary, as may be applicable to
this project.
(v)
The environmental clearance is subject to
approval of the State Land use Department or Concerned Authority in the State,
Government of Tamil Nadu for diversion of agricultural land for
non-agricultural use.
(vi)
The project
proponent shall obtain necessary prior permission of the
competent authorities for drawl of
requisite quantity of water (surface water and/or ground water) required for
the project.
(vii)
The top soil, if any shall
temporarily be stored at earmarked site(s) only and it should not be kept
unutilized for long. The topsoil shall be used for land reclamation and plantation.
(viii)
The mining operations shall be
restricted to above ground water table and it should not intersect the
groundwater table. In case of working below the ground water table, prior approval
of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Central Ground Water
Authority shall be obtained, for which a detailed hydro-geological study shall
be carried out.
(ix)
No transportation of ore
outside the mine lease area shall be carried out after the sunset.
(x)
A safety distance of 10 mts. shall be provided for
the nallah passing on the northern boundary of ML area. Trenches / garland
drains shall be constructed at foot of dumps and coco filters installed at
regular intervals to arrest silt from being carried to water bodies. Adequate
number of Check Dams and Gully Plugs shall be constructed across
seasonal/perennial nallahs (if any) flowing through the ML area and silts
arrested. De- silting at
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regular
intervals shall be carried out.
(xi)
The optimum charge for blasting shall be
determined based on peak particle velocity.
Blasting operation shall be carried out only during the daytime.
Controlled blasting shall be practiced. The mitigative measures
for control of ground vibrations and
to arrest fly rocks and boulders should be implemented.
(xii)
Drills
shall either be operated with dust extractors or equipped with water injection system.
(xiii)
Mineral
handling area shall be provided with adequate number of high efficiency dust extraction
system. Loading and unloading areas including all the transfer points should
also have efficient dust control arrangements. These should be properly
maintained and operated.
(xiv)
ETP
shall also be provided for the workshop and wastewater generated during the
mining operation.
(xv)
Effective
safeguard measures, such as regular water sprinkling shall be carried out in
critical areas prone to air pollution and having high levels of particulate
matter such as around loading and unloading point and all transfer points.
Extensive water sprinkling shall be carried out on haul roads. It should be
ensured that the Ambient Air Quality parameters conform to the norms prescribed
by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard.
(xvi)
Fugitive
dust generation shall be controlled. Fugitive dust emission shall be regularly
monitored at locations of nearest human habitation (including schools, temples
and other public amenities located nearest to sources of dust generation as
applicable) and records submitted to the Ministry.
(xvii)
The
project authority shall implement suitable conservation measures including
suitable rain water harvesting measures to augment ground water resources in
the area in consultation with the Regional Director, Central Ground Water
Board.
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(xviii)
Regular
monitoring of ground water level and quality including Arsenic
shall be carried out in and around the mine
lease by establishing a network of existing wells and constructing new
piezometers during the mining operation. The periodic monitoring [(at least
four times in a year- pre-monsoon (April-May), monsoon (August), post-monsoon
(November) and winter (January); once in each season)] shall be carried out in
consultation with the State Ground Water Board/Central Ground Water Authority
and the data thus collected may be sent regularly to the Ministry of
Environment and Forests and its Regional Office, Bangalore, the Central Ground
Water Authority and the Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board. If at
any stage, it is observed that the groundwater table is getting depleted due to
the mining activity, necessary corrective measures shall be carried out.
(xix)
Mineralogical
composition of the dust to assess the silica content in the dust particle and
particle size analysis shall be carried out periodically and records
maintained. Personnel exposure
monitoring for dust shall also be carried out for the workers.
(xx)
Land-use
pattern of the nearby villages shall be studied, including common property
resources available for conversion into productive land. Action plan for
abatement and compensation for damage to agricultural land / common property
land (if any) in the nearby villages, due to mining activity shall be submitted
to the Ministry within six months.
(xxi)
Need
based assessment for the nearby villages shall be conducted to study economic
measures with action plan which can help in upliftment of poor section of
society. Income generating projects consistent with the traditional skills of
the people besides development of fodder farm, fruit bearing orchards,
vocational training etc. can form a part of such programme. Company shall
provide separate budget for community development activities and income
generating programmes. This will be in
addition to vocational training for individuals imparted to take up self
employment and jobs.
(xxii)
Occupational
Health Cell shall be created at the company under the charge of an officer of
adequate seniority who is a qualified person in occupational health.
Occupational health and safety measures for the workers including
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identification of work related health hazards,
training on malaria eradication, HIV, and health effects on exposure to mineral
dust etc. shall be carried out. The company shall engage a full time qualified
doctor who is trained in occupational health. Periodic monitoring for exposure
to respirable mineral dust on the workers shall be conducted and records
maintained including health records of the workers. Awareness programme for workers on impact of
mining on their health and precautionary measures like use of personal
equipments etc. shall be carried out periodically. Review of impact of various
health measures undertaken (at interval of five years of less) shall be
conducted followed by follow up action wherever required.
(xxiii)
The
company shall stress upon the preventive aspects of occupational health. Pre-placement medical examination and
periodical medical examination of the workers engaged in the project shall be
carried out and records maintained. For the purpose, schedule of health
examination of the workers should be drawn and followed accordingly.
(xxiv)
The
greenbelt plantation all around the mine lease should be completed within 5
years of grant of environmental clearance. Green belt development and selection of plant species shall be of
native species. The
density of the trees should be around 2000 plants per ha. Herbs and
shrubs shall also form a part of afforestation programme besides tree
plantation. Details of year wise afforestation programme including
rehabilitation of mined out area shall be submitted to the Ministry within six
months.
(xxv)
Vehicular
emissions shall be kept under control and regularly monitored. Measures shall
be taken for maintenance of vehicles used in mining operations and in
transportation of mineral within the lease up to the stockyard. The mineral
transportation within the mine lease shall be carried out through the covered
trucks only and the vehicles carrying the mineral shall not be overloaded. The
mineral transportation outside the mine lease shall be carried out through the
tarpaulin covered trucks only and the vehicles carrying the mineral shall not
be overloaded. There shall be no spillage of mineral enroute up to the delivery
point.
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(xxvi)
Provision shall be made for the housing of construction labour
within the site with all necessary infrastructure and facilities such as fuel
for cooking, mobile toilets, mobile STP, safe drinking water, medical health
care, crèche etc. The housing may be in the form of temporary structures to be
removed after the completion of the project.
(xxvii)
The critical parameters such as RSPM (Particulate matter with size
less than 10micron i.e., PM10) and
NOX in the ambient air
within the impact zone, peak particle velocity at 300m distance or within the
nearest habitation, whichever is closer shall be monitored periodically .
Further, quality of discharged water shall also be monitored [(TDS, DO, PH and
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)]. The monitored data shall be uploaded on the
website of the company as well as displayed on a display board at the project
site at a suitable location near the main gate of the Company in public domain.
The Circular No. J-20012/1/2006-IA.II(M) dated 27.05.2009 issued by Ministry of
Environment and Forests, which is available on the website of the Ministry www.envfor.nic.in shall also be referred
in this regard for its compliance.
(xxviii) The Company shall submit within 3 months their
policy towards Corporate Environment Responsibility which should inter-alia
address (i) Standard operating process/ procedure to bring into focus any
infringement/deviation/violation of environmental or forest norms/ conditions,
(ii) Hierarchical system or Administrative order of the company
to deal with environmental issues and ensuring compliance of EC conditions and (iii) System of reporting of non
compliance/violation of environmental norms to the Board of Directors of the
company and/or stakeholders or shareholders.
(xxix) A
Final Mine Closure Plan along with details of Corpus Fund shall be submitted to
the Ministry of Environment & Forests 5 years in advance of final mine
closure for approval.
B. GENERAL CONDITIONS:
(i)
No change in mining
technology and scope of working should be made without prior approval of the
Ministry of Environment & Forests.
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(ii)
No change in the
calendar plan including excavation, quantum of mineral limestone and Marl and
waste should be made.
(iii)
At least four
ambient air quality-monitoring stations should be established in the core zone
as well as in the buffer zone for RSPM(Particulate
matter with size less than 10micron i.e., PM10) and NOX
monitoring. Location of the monitoring
stations and frequency of monitoring should be undertaken in consultation with
the State Pollution Control Board and should be based on the meteorological
data, topographical features and environmentally and ecologically sensitive targets.
(iv) Data on ambient air quality [(RSPM(Particulate matter with size less than 10micron i.e., PM10)
and NOX] should be regularly submitted to the Ministry
including its Regional office located at
Bangalore and the State Pollution
Control Board / Central Pollution Control Board once in six months.
(v)
Fugitive dust
emissions from all the sources should be controlled regularly. Water spraying
arrangement on haul roads, loading and unloading and at transfer points should
be provided and properly maintained.
(vi)
Measures should be taken for control of
noise levels below 85 dBA in the work environment. Workers engaged in
operations of HEMM, etc. should be provided with ear plugs / muffs.
(vii)
Industrial waste
water (workshop and waste water from the mine) should 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.
Oil and grease trap should be installed before discharge of workshop effluents.
(viii)
Personnel working in
dusty areas should wear protective respiratory devices and they should also be
provided with adequate training and information on safety and health aspects.
Occupational health surveillance program of the workers should be undertaken
periodically to observe any contractions due to exposure to dust and take
corrective measures, if needed.
(ix)
A separate
environmental management cell with suitable qualified personnel should be
set-up under the control of a Senior Executive, who will report directly to the
Head of the Organization.
(x)
The funds earmarked
for environmental protection measures should be kept in separate account and
should not be diverted for other purpose. Year wise expenditure should be
reported to the Ministry and its Regional Office located at Bangalore.
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(xi)
The project
authorities should inform to the Regional Office located at Bangalore regarding date of financial
closures and final approval of the project by the concerned authorities and the
date of start of land development work.
(xii)
The Regional Office
of this Ministry located at Bangalore
shall monitor compliance of the stipulated conditions. The project authorities
should extend full cooperation to the officer (s) of the Regional Office by furnishing
the requisite data / information / monitoring reports.
(xiii)
The project
proponent shall submit six monthly reports on the status of compliance of the
stipulated environmental clearance conditions including results of monitored
data (both in hard copies as well as by e-mail) to the Ministry of Environment
and Forests, its Regional Office
Bangalore, the respective Zonal Office of Central Pollution Control
Board and the State Pollution Control Board. The proponent shall upload the
status of compliance of the environmental clearance conditions, including
results of monitored data on their website and shall update the same
periodically. It shall simultaneously be sent to the Regional Office of the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Bangalore, the respective Zonal Officer of
Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Board.
(xiv)
A copy of the clearance letter shall be sent by the
proponent to concerned Panchayat, Zila Parisad/ Municipal Corporation, Urban
Local Body and the Local NGO, if any, from whom suggestions/ representations,
if any, were received while processing the proposal. The clearance letter shall
also be put on the website of the Company by the proponent.
(xv)
The State Pollution
Control Board should display a copy of the clearance letter at the Regional
office, District Industry Centre and the Collector?s office/ Tehsildar?s Office
for 30 days.
(xvi)
The project
authorities should advertise at least in two local newspapers widely
circulated, one of which shall be in the vernacular language of the locality
concerned, within 7 days of the issue 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 also at web
site of the Ministry of Environment and Forests at http://envfor.nic.in and
a copy of the same should be forwarded to the Regional Office of this Ministry
located at Bangalore.
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5. The
Ministry or any other competent authority may alter/modify the above conditions
or stipulate any further condition in the interest of environment protection.
6. Failure
to comply with any of the conditions mentioned above may result in withdrawal
of this clearance and attract action under the provisions of the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986.
7. 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 made
there under and also any other orders passed by the Hon?ble Supreme Court of
India/ High Court of Tamil Nadu and any other Court of Law relating
to the subject matter.
8. The
environmental statement for each financial year ending 31st March in
Form-V as is mandated to be submitted by the project proponent to the concerned
State Pollution Control Board as prescribed under the Environment (Protection)
Rules, 1986, as amended subsequently, shall also be put on the
website of the company along with the status of compliance of environmental
clearance conditions and shall also be sent to the
respective Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Bangalore by
e-mail.
9. Any appeal against this environmental clearance shall lie with the
National Green Tribunal, if preferred, within a period of 30 days as prescribed
under Section 16 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.
(OM PRAKASH)
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Copy
to:
1. Secretary, Ministry of Mines,
Government of India Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Secretary, Department of
Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.
3. Secretary, Department of
Mines and Geology, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.
4. Secretary, Department of
Forests, Government of Tamilnadu, Chennai
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5. The Secretary (Environment),
Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Fort. St. George, Chennai- 600009.
6. The Chairman, Central
Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhavan, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun
Nagar, Delhi-110032.
7. The Chairman, Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board, 76, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600032.
8. The Chief Conservator of
Forests (Central), Regional Office (SZ), Kendriya Sadan, IVth Floor,
E&F Wings, 7th Main Road, IInd Block, Koramangala,
Bangalore-560034.
9. Member Secretary,
Central Ground Water Authority, A 2, W3
Curzon Road Barracks, K.G. Marg, New Delhi-110001.
10. Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines, Indira Bhavan, Civil
Lines, Nagpur-440 001.
11. District Collector,
District Ariyalur , Tamil Nadu.
12.
Monitoring File/Guard File/Record
File.
(OM PRAKASH)
DEPUTY DIRECTOR