Thu Jan 30 19:27:19 UTC 2025: ## Green Tribunal Halts Tamil Nadu Industrial Estate Project over Environmental Concerns
**Chennai, January 31, 2025** – The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has suspended the environmental clearance for a large-scale industrial estate project planned by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) in Soorapoondi and Vaniamallee villages near Gummidipoondi. The decision, announced on January 28th, follows the Bench’s finding that SIPCOT attempted to circumvent comprehensive environmental scrutiny by dividing the project into smaller components.
The NGT cited inadequacies in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted by SIPCOT. The assessment failed to adequately address the cumulative environmental impact of the project, neglecting potential effects on biodiversity, water resources, air quality, and local communities. The Bench expressed concern that these omissions could cause significant and lasting harm to the sensitive ecosystem in the area.
The Tribunal has ordered a comprehensive cumulative impact assessment to evaluate the combined effects of this and other ongoing projects in the region. This assessment is deemed crucial given that the original environmental clearance, granted in November 2020, is already under review by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Until the new assessment is completed and reviewed, the project remains on hold. The NGT also recommended that SIPCOT incorporate cumulative impact assessments into its future planning.
First Piper 