The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has returned a proposal seeking environmental clearance for the six-lane Chittoor-Thachur Road (NH 716B) directing that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study be redone.
It pulled up the project consultant for not carrying out the environmental impact assessment properly and also the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is the project proponent, for not verifying the report.
Farmers happy
The EAC said that though the terms of reference for the project had been issued for a length of 126.55 km, the EIA report submitted to them was for 116.550 km.
The EIA did not capture issues related to loss of agriculture, animal husbandry and related livelihoods along with other critical issues raised during the public hearing. The committee said that a detailed study on usage of waterbodies by local community and impact of proposed project on hydrogeology and geomorphological features of the region along with adequate mitigation measures was to be done before finalising the alignment. Besides other issues, the study should ensure that the major, minor bridges and culverts should not affect the drainage systems.
Farmers along the alignment have expressed relief and hoped that the proposal would be dropped since farm lands and waterbodies and canals were being affected by the proposed road. P. Seshadri, a farmer of Puducheri in Utthukottai taluk, who stands to lose 1.5 acres due to project, said that production of 600 tonnes of paddy would be hit every year in his village alone due to the blocking of channels carrying water from the Puducheri lake. “The road cuts through the centre of our village. If they take it outside it would cause less harm,” he said.
A 100-year-old banyan tree too would be felled. “At least six borewells and several open wells would be lost. This would lead to the groundwater table being affected. Our grazing lands would be lost too," said G. Sundarraj, another farmer.
