Environmental Clearance

Supreme Court sets aside NGT orders shutting formaldehyde units that lacked prior environmental clearance, applying Pahwa Plastics after Vanashakti's recall, with a one-month EC deadline.

In a landmark balancing act between infrastructure and ecology, the Supreme Court has cleared the path for the Versova Bhayandar coastal road project, mandating a decade of environmental monitoring and massive compensatory afforestation.

The Supreme Court recalls the Vanashakti judgment, permitting post-facto environmental clearances in exceptional and rare cases. The 2:1 ruling allows retrospective approval for operational projects, though a dissent warned of ecological risks.

The Supreme Court barred sand-mining clearances without scientific replenishment studies, branding such approvals “fundamentally defective.” The judgment ties sustainable mining to constitutional rights, reshaping environmental governance across India.