SC seeks Govt's reply on plea against CRZ clearance to Kudankulam units

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Union government and others on a plea contending that coastal regulation zone clearance was granted to Units 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project without proper environment impact assessment.

A bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta also sought response from Tamil Nadu Government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd on an appeal filed on behalf of nuclear activist G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal.

The petition argued by advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted the mandatory EIA for the said units has been done by an unaccredited agency Engineers India Ltd.

He also claimed that there was a non application of mind in the granting of the CRZ clearance wherein various environmental issues have not even been dealt with.

The NGT had earlier dismissed the plea saying that the Supreme Court in 2013 judgment has already dealt with units 3 to 6.

Bhushan, however, submitted the earlier judgment was only on Units 1 and 2 and that in that matter CRZ clearance given to units 3 to 6 was not under challenge and needs to be scrutinized afresh.