In a discussion with students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Wednesday, union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh revealed that the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) was not happy with the public hearing conducted by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) for the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP) and had even asked the authority to re-do the public hearing ‘in the manner the law asks them to do’. However, NPCIL resubmitted the same hearing the second time.
While media were not allowed to attend the discussion, DNA is in possession of the audio recording of the entire session. When queried about the legality of the one and only public hearing for JNPP which took place on May 16, 2010, Ramesh said that the ministry had cancelled the public hearing. “The first job was unsatisfactory. We have not taken into account that particular public hearing,” said Ramesh.
Public hearings form the most important part in the process of getting environmental clearance, where locals are given a chance to put forward their views about the project. If the MoEF had cancelled the only public hearing which was held for JNPP, then the environmental clearance given to the project comes into question, especially since there was no second public hearing.
“(After NPCIL re-submitted) when it came to the state, on the basis of the report, certain clearance was given based on the series of safeguard conditions associated with it,” explained Ramesh. When DNA tried to contact the minister, he did not answer the calls.
An NPCIL official referred to recordings of the three meetings they held with anti-project activists. “Those were arranged after the activists met the minister over their concerns and MoEF directed us to hold such meetings. The minister must have referred to those submissions. If the MoEF was unhappy with us, the project would not have got environmental clearance,” said Ranjit Raj Kakde, general manger corporate communications, NPCIL.
