NT Reporter
Panaji
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has disposed of Vedanta Ltd’s application seeking permission to use a revised 5.62-km route to transport iron ore from its Bicholim mining block to Sarmanas Jetty, following the Centre’s approval of an amendment to the project’s environmental clearance.
In its October 16 order, a bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee stated that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had accepted the recommendations of its Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and amended the clearance dated January 23, 2024. The tribunal said “nothing remains to be decided in this application” and closed the matter.
The Centre’s amended clearance, dated October 15, approved a route comprising 3.75 km of dedicated road and 1.87 km of MDR-20, including an additional 0.93-km stretch of the same road, subject to conditions.
The application, Miscellaneous Application No. 17 of 2026, arose from proceedings initiated by Sandeep Salelkar in Original Application No. 65 of 2025. Vedanta had sought permission to continue using the deviated route while awaiting the Centre’s decision.
On August 31, the tribunal had allowed temporary use of the route and directed the ministry to decide on the clearance amendment within a month. It also directed Vedanta to implead Salelkar, who opposed the application.
During earlier proceedings, Salelkar’s counsel said the EAC had deferred the proposal on July 17, seeking information on pollution loads, mitigation measures, route capacity, avenue plantation and pending court cases. Although the information was submitted on July 28, consideration remained pending. Salelkar’s counsel alleged that the information had been deliberately withheld to prolong use of the route without approval and opposed an extension.
The clearance covers Bicholim Mineral Block 1, which has a proposed iron ore production capacity of three million tonnes per annum.
