National Green Tribunal (NGT): While rendering relief to environmentalists, National Green Tribunal cancelled the environmental clearance granted by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to KGS International Airport Ltd. for setting up a Rs 2000-crore proposed greenfield airport at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. NGT passed the said order on a bunch of petitions filed by Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council and other environmentalist alleging adverse environmental impact of the proposed project. Mr. T. Mohan and A. Yogeshwaran appearing on behalf of petitioners contended that the KGS group and the Kerala Government suppressed several facts and possible environmental impacts to get clearance from the Union ministry and no public notice was issued before conducting the public hearing with local residents over the project. NGT set aside the clearance given by MoEF and restrained the promoters of the airport from carrying out any activities either constructional or otherwise in respect of the project on the ground that the agency Enviro Care India Private Limited that conducted the environment impact assessment for the project, was not competent to prepare the Environment Impact Assessment or appear before the Expert Appraisal committee. The tribunal also held that the public hearing on the proposed project was conducted in violation of the provisions laid down in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notifications, 2006. (Sreeranganathan K.P. v. Union of India, Appeal No. 172 of 2013 (SZ), decided on May 28, 2014)
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