NEERI barred from soda ash environment impact assessment

AHMEDABAD: The National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), a constituent of the Quality Council of India, has disqualified the reputed National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) from conducting environment impact assessment (EIA) studies for soda ash projects for six months. It has also barred NEERI from applying for accreditation for the soda ash sector for six months.
NABET's punishment order for NEERI was issued on December 23, following a complaint by residents of Mandvi taluka of Kutch district, who are opposing the soda ash plant proposed by Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd (GHCL) near Bada village.
During a public hearing on the project in October last year, the Bada Village Vikas Samiti opposed the project, saying the EIA report was not valid because the study was undertaken by consultants who did not have NABET accreditation.
Taking cognizance of the complaint, NABET held that "NEERI has violated the terms and conditions of their accreditation and adopted a very casual approach in accepting an EIA for a sector (soda ash) for which it was not accredited. Therefore, NEERI is debarred from applying for accreditation for this sector for six months effective December 23, 2022."
NABET's accreditation committee observed that GHCL was to put up a soda ash plant in Kutch in 2017, but there was no NABET-accredited EIA consultant for the soda ash sector. GHCL thus approached CSIR-NEERI, which agreed to conduct an EIA study. NEERI was not accredited to conduct an EIA study for the soda ash sector, nor did it seek accreditation during this time, which is a requirement under the 2015 notification from the Union environment ministry. Accepting the task without NABET accreditation was a deviation from the terms and conditions of accreditation granted to NEERI earlier under the EIA consultant accreditation scheme.
GHCL's proposed plant seems to be caught in the crossfire, as NABET has also stalled the environment clearance plea for six months. "The concerned environment clearance is suspended for six months effective from December 23," the order further states.
Considering the order, clouds seem to be looming over GHCL's Rs 3,500 crore investment in the proposed 5-lakh-tonnes-per-annum soda ash plant.
Sources said GHCL was expected to begin construction of the plant in the first quarter of FY 2023-24 and was awaiting environmental clearance and coastal regulatory zone clearance from the Union environment ministry. Now, its plea will remain suspended till June 22.
The company, however, said there would be no change to the project timeline. GHCL responded with a statement, "We do not envisage any changes in the project timeline, and it will be implemented as planned."