Inauguration by PM Modi today: ‘AIIMS Kalyani has no environmental clearance’

AIIMS at Kalyani, is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on Sunday

MP, 25 Feb 2024 : The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said that the AIIMS at Kalyani, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on Sunday, does not have environmental clearance and hence did not have consent to operate. 

“A project bigger than 20,000 sq m requires an EC as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). AIIMS Kalyani had applied for EC in October 2022 under violation category as it had started construction work before obtaining the EC. WBPCB as per MoEFCC guidelines, imposed an environmental damage cost and a penalty that amounted to over Rs 15.11 crores. 

However, AIIMS Kalyani applied for an exemption contending that the project is a health facility and therefore it does not require an EC,” said Kalyan Rudra, chairman of WBPCB in a press conference on Saturday. 

Rudra said that with the state government having no authority to exempt this amount filed a case before the ACJM Kalyani under section 19 of EP Act 1986 for such violation. 

The matter was communicated to the MoEFCC which asked for revisiting the amount calculated for penalty and remediation plan in light of MoEFCC guidance. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court through two orders dated January 2 and February 2, 2024 stayed the operation of two memorandums issued by MoEFCC. 

“So, unless the SC sets aside the orders, we cannot issue an EC to the project under violation category,” Rudra maintained. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/inauguration-by-pm-modi-today-aiims-kalyani-has-no-environmental-clearance-553443