The controversial Vedanta University project, proposed to built on Puri-Konark marine drive, has been pushed into limbo after the environment and forests ministry on Tuesday decided to keep the conditional environmental and coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearance in abeyance over allegations of irregularities, illegal and unlawful deeds by the Anil Agarwal Foundation.
On April 16 this year, the ministry had granted conditional environmental and CRZ clearance to the foundation, which is building the university, while setting about 50 conditions. But simultaneously, the ministry had invited objections from the public about the clearance. As per the conditions the foundation has to get necessary permission and no objection certificate from the ministry as the project is situated less than 200 metres of Balukhanda reserve forest and wildlife sanctuary.
However, in its order on Tuesday the ministry said it has received information alleging irregularities, illegal, unethical and unlawful deeds by the Anil Agarwal Foundation. The ministry also said it has received information that serious objections raised in the Orissa Coastal Zone Management Authority meeting were not appropriately considered in granting the CRZ and environmental clearance.
An MoEF official said the CRZ and environmental clearance passed on April 16 thus would be kept in abeyance till a final decision in the matter is taken by the ministry.
The university proposed to be built over an area of 6,892 acre, is already in the centre of a swirling controversy with Orissa Lok Pal Justice PK Patra recommending for appointment of a competent authority to thoroughly probe and inquire into the land deal for the proposed institution.
In his report, the Lok Pal indicted the Naveen Patnaik government, particularly the chief minister’s office, and accused four senior government officials of acting hastily in handing over the land to the foundation. The Lok Pal had noted that since the Foundation was not a public company under the Companies Act, therefore the state government’s acquisition of land for the university was illegal.
The Lok Pal also asked the government to find out the people and public servants responsible for advancing the cause of the foundation in haste without compliance of the provisions of various laws by the foundations and to see whether the public
servants concerned were influenced by any representatives of the foundation or any other persons. In the April 16 clearance, the MoEF had said that Anil Agarwal Foundation cannot draw ground water, restrict local fishermen from fishing, construct in CRZ area.
Environmentalists opposing the university project say once the university comes up, it would mean end of sweet water for lakhs of people in the holy town of Puri. “Puri being a coastal town has limited sweet water sources. As per the toposheet map published by the Survey of India , the area proposed for the University is usually flooded from June to November. This low-lying area receives a huge level of floodwater discharge from the distributaries of the Mahanadi river system. The stagnant water remains there for nearly six months. The area is an extremely important water sink and absorbs millions of litres of fresh water which flows into this area during the monsoons. Due to the accumulation of water, there is continuous percolation of such water into the ground. Due to underground streams, this water finds it way to the sweet water zone and recharges it every year,” said eminent environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty.
Mohanty warned that if Vedanta University is built over the water aquifiers near Balukhanda wildlife sanctuary, then an excellent natural water recharging system designed by nature and which has been working for thousands of years will collapse over night. It will lead to water shortages for the people of Puri who will find it extremely difficult to access fresh water since it is a coastal town, he predicted.