After a developer claimed that clearance was given by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for the construction of a residential-cum-commercial complex near Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) refinery in Chembur, the Bombay high court has asked for clarification from the ministry on whether the Intelligence Bureau (IB) report on threat to the refinery was taken into consideration before giving clearance.
A division bench of justice PB Majmudar and justice Mridula Bhatkar on Monday asked the MoEF to clarify whether it considered the emission of carcinogenic fumes and gases from the refinery, as pointed out by the IB report, before giving a green signal to the construction of a residential complex in its vicinity.
Giving time till December 12, the high court added, “If the ministry does not clarify these issues, we will have no option but to summon the MoEF secretary,” said the court.
On a court query, Rajiv Chavan, counsel for the MoEF, informed the court that as per international standards, no construction is allowed within 2 kilometres of a refinery. Chavan also clarified that they have granted clearance on the condition that the developer would have to take necessary permission from the fire department.
