Environmental clearance amended for 2,600-hectare coal mine amid three Supreme Court cases

The amendment specifically extends the deadline for constructing a 25-bed hospital for local communities.

Who it concerns: The project proponent is M/s Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL). The clearance was granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), India.

Conditions and facts

• Clearance Status: Amendment to Environmental Clearance granted.
• Project Size: Mining Lease Area of 2682.856 hectares with a production capacity of 18 MTPA.
• Condition Amended: Specific Condition No. 4(vii) regarding the construction of a 25-bed hospital on 4 hectares of government land in Salhi village.
• New Deadline: The hospital must be constructed and commissioned by May 2028 (extended from May 2026).
• Compliance: The hospital must be empanelled under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) or an equivalent government scheme.
• Reporting: The proponent must submit six-monthly progress reports with documentary evidence to the Ministry’s Regional Office.

Also in the document

• The project involves a large mining lease area of over 2,600 hectares.
• Three active court cases in the Supreme Court of India are noted, relating to the Joint Venture allotment, phase 2 mining permissions under the Forest Conservation Act, and an appeal against a previous NGT order regarding the Environmental Clearance.
• The delay in hospital construction was attributed by the proponent to administrative constraints in land allotment and tender processes, with the estimated project cost cited as Rs. 62.16 Crores.