Environmental Impact Assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by the Government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at coal pitheads.
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Write a timed answer in the appCurrent affairs to use in your answer
Centre resumes appraising pending post facto green clearances after Supreme Court ruling · 3 October 2026 · Covers one part · use it in the introduction
Use it to open by explaining why EIA must precede clearance: assessment after construction can only legitimise or mitigate harm, not prevent it.
- The EIA Notification, 2006 requires clearance before any work begins, after screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal by expert committees, so that harm is judged before it happens.
- In Alembic Pharmaceuticals v Rohit Prajapati (2020) the Supreme Court called ex post facto clearances contrary to the precautionary principle, which applies with force to large polluting plants.
Also related
- Green clearances for ports now valid for 20 years
The question tests the purpose of prior EIA; the port rule change lets you discuss how validity periods affect whether impacts are reassessed.