The Specialist Assessment Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment for the infrastructure sector has recommended environmental approval for the proposed Greenfield Puri International Airport. This recommendation is subject to specific circumstances, of which the project should be provided first to the project as per the minutes of the EAC meeting held on 26 June.
Since a part of the project area is under the coastal regulation area (CRZ) area and a sub-plot under it is affected by the no-development zone provisions, the Odisha government has also been asked to take comments from the Ministry’s CRZ Division.
Shri Jagannath International Airport was given the principle of Rs 5,631 crore by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on 5 May. The Commerce and Transport Department of the Government of Odisha is a project proposer, and the project area is spread over 471.34 hectares, of which 27.85 hectares are forest land.
The EAC recommendation for the grant of environmental approval comes a few days after the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) provides a one withdrawal for the project. The FAC postponed the project approval, citing concerns, stating that its regional office stated that the proposed airport’s Olive Ridley Turtle and Irawadi Dolphin increased the impact of 13,000 trees on the Puri coast with a possible impact on the Olive Ridley Turtle and Irawadi Dolphin, which is unhappy for bicycles.
The EAC also made specific recommendations on the conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles and Migratory Birds. A subcommittee of the EAC visited the project site in April this year to inspect the conditions of the site and make specific recommendations about the concerns of ecological, cultural and wildlife.
The sub -committee had said that with the olive rideline nest nest around the Puri coast, the Odisha government should prepare a comprehensive study report on the issue and provide a management plan. Like FAC, EAC asked to study the possible impact of the airport on migratory birds that fly to the Chilika Lake.
Based on these submissions, the EAC directed the Odisha Government to submit a study report to the Ministry’s Regional Office of how it would manage the olive rideline turtle and dolphins found in coastal areas near the project site.
The story continues below this advertisement
The Odisha government has included the Estuition Biology Regional Center, Gopalpur of the Zoological Survey of India to study the victims of olives and migratory birds. Millions of migratory birds use flyway or migrant routes along the Puri coast to use Chilika Lake as a stopover site.
Additionally, the state government will have to submit a non-objection certificate from the Indian Archaeological Survey, along with the Shri Jagannath Temple within 10 km of the airport site. The EAC also recommended the construction of cyclone shelters. The EAC said, “As the proposed project area is insecure for tsunamis and cyclones as it is located on the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal … EAC is desired that Cyclone Shelter will be planned as part of mitigation measures outside and inside the premises of the airport.”
In May 2019, Cyclone Pani made a landfall between Saptada (near Chilika Lake) and Puri, with a continuous surface wind speed of 175–180 km per hour, causing the city to death and damage.
The EAC is one of the 13 sectoral panels on the infrastructure projects that are formed by the Ministry of Environment to investigate proposals and to evaluate them for their environmental impact under the provisions of environmental impact assessment notification, 2006.
The story continues below this advertisement
The Ministry takes a final call on the grant or rejection of the final environmental approval. Meanwhile, the FAC, van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) investigates proposals for the turn of forest land for non-development objectives such as development and infrastructure projects.
The concerned expert panel, which had recommended for the Puri Airport, examines only airports, waste treatment plants, waste treatment plants, buildings and constructions and proposals under the provisions of the environmental impact assessment notification, 2006.
(Tagstotransite) India (T) India News (T) Indian Express News
