Clearance For Sanghi Cement Plant Hangs Fire

The Union government is yet to take a decision on environmental clearance to the sea shore cement plant of the Hyderabad-based Sanghi Industries Ltd to be set up in Gujarat.

The Ahmedabad High Court had asked the environment and forests ministry to decide on the issue by end-April.

The court later extended the deadline by one month following a request from the ministry.

The official dealing with the matter at the ministry declined to comment on the deadline given by the high court.

He said the status quo was continuing.

The Sanghi Industries is going ahead with its plan to set up a Rs 815 crore cement project in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

 

The project envisages a 52.5 mw captive power plant and a matching water desalination plant. The planned annual capacity of the plant is 2.6 million tonnes.

The project was rejected by the environment ministry on the grounds that the region was rich in limestone _ the main raw material for cement making, and clearing this project would encourage several other companies to rush to put up cement plants in the region which will be detrimental to the ecology.

The Sanghis appealed to the Ahmedabad High Court which quashed the ministry's order asking the ministry to re-examine the matter within a period of two months.