Times of India reported that Gujarat High Court recently issued a notice to AMNS India after a Public Interest Litigation was filed by wildlife activist Mr Biran Padhya over the alleged noncompliance of an order issued by the Union environment. The court said in an oral order passed on February 22 “The writ-applicant, an NRI, has brought to our notice that certain mandatory conditions, which AM/NS India was obliged to fulfil as imposed in the order passed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest dated June 8, 2013, have not been complied with or rather flouted. The company has failed to provide 110 hectares of non-forest land in the Lion Corridor area in Sananda village in Palitana taluka. The nonforest land, to be notified as Reserved Forest by the state forest department, is still pending. As a CSR initiative, AM/NS India was required to deposit 2.5 times of the market value prevailing in 2006 for the area with Lion Conservation Society.” The court has sent notices to all the respondents and they have been given time till March 16 to respond. For the Hazira steel plant, the state forest department allotted three land parcels measuring about 85 hectares. For this, in-principle approvals were given in the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. In return, the company was to acquire three land parcels besides following other mandatory conditions laid down by the ministry in 2013 for diverting forest land.
Times of India reported that Gujarat High Court recently issued a notice to AMNS India after a Public Interest Litigation was filed by wildlife activist Mr Biran Padhya over the alleged noncompliance of an order issued by the Union environment. The court said in an oral order passed on February 22 “The writ-applicant, an NRI, has brought to our notice that certain mandatory conditions, which AM/NS India was obliged to fulfil as imposed in the order passed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest dated June 8, 2013, have not been complied with or rather flouted. The company has failed to provide 110 hectares of non-forest land in the Lion Corridor area in Sananda village in Palitana taluka. The nonforest land, to be notified as Reserved Forest by the state forest department, is still pending. As a CSR initiative, AM/NS India was required to deposit 2.5 times of the market value prevailing in 2006 for the area with Lion Conservation Society.” The court has sent notices to all the respondents and they have been given time till March 16 to respond. For the Hazira steel plant, the state forest department allotted three land parcels measuring about 85 hectares. For this, in-principle approvals were given in the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. In return, the company was to acquire three land parcels besides following other mandatory conditions laid down by the ministry in 2013 for diverting forest land.
