New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) An expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry has said that the proposal seeking environmental clearance for the expansion of the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Okhla is premature and lacks proper details.

The Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company, a private company owned by Jindal Group, operates the plant which produces 23 megawatt electricity by burning municipal solid waste.

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It has now sought permission to increase the power generation capacity by an additional 17 MW.

Residents of Sukhdev Vihar in southeast Delhi have opposed the proposal for the expansion of the plant situated in the middle of residential areas and have been fighting a legal battle for more than 12 years, demanding the closure or shifting of the plant from their backyards.

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The Union Environment Ministry had earlier capped the garbage consumption at the plant at 1,950 metric tonnes and the power generation at 23 megawatts "considering the proximity of Sukhdev Vihar residential colony located at less than 100 metres from the site".

At a meeting on August 24, the 13-member EAC observed that no details have been submitted regarding change in environmental scenario and baseline pollution load after the last appraisal by the EAC.

"The Project Proponent is considering to expand the capacity of the existing plant and the ToR (terms of reference) for the EIA study for the proposed expansion was issued by the Union Environment Ministry in 2018. However, no detail about the variations in the use of waste quantity, increase in the pollution load due to the enhancement of capacity, and required environmental infrastructure to handle and mitigate the pollution load due to proposed expansion was provided," it said.

"No alternative site study has been performed to justify the present proposal. Earlier, the ministry had restricted further expansion on the present site as the site is very close to the residential area and several complaints have been received from nearby residents regarding the emission of toxic gases and foul smells and the nearby residents are resisting the project," it noted.

"The EAC, therefore, is of the view that the present proposal seeking an amendment in EC is premature and needs to be substantiated with proper details as suggested. The EAC opined that the proposal may be re-examined with the EIA/EMP report of expansion proposal for the existing plant," the minutes of the meeting read.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)