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The Gujarat High Court Wednesday issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Gujarat Coastal Zone Authority (GCZA) and the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in a public interest litigation seeking cancellation of environmental and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances granted to two DPA projects.
The petition was moved by Jakhariya Saleman Manek and Dr Bharatkumar Patel — residents of Mundra in Kutch — who pointed out that the land identified for the projects for integrated facilities contains mangroves and falls under CRZ-1 A category.
The government, however, gave the CRZ nod by listing the land under the wrong categories of CRZ 1(B), CRZ-III and CRZ-IV, said petitioners Manek, a fisherman and president of Shri Kutch District Machchhimaar Association, and Dr Patel who works as research lead with the Centre for Policy Research — Namati Environmental Justice Program in Gujarat.
The petitioners stated that in its proposal sent to the Union ministry seeking environmental and CRZ clearance in 2016, the Deendayal Port Authority omitted the fact regarding the presence of mangroves in the area. They stated that the environment ministry and Gujarat Coastal Zone Authority granted the approval without due diligence despite maps and images of the areas showing significant presence of mangroves.
The petitioners sought court directives to set aside the clearances granted to the two projects and direct the respondents to maintain status quo with regard to the projects granted clearances, pending final disposal of the PIL.
The court has kept the notices returnable for February 27.
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