NGT orders JSW to allocate ₹1.61 crore for CSR initiatives in response to environmental violations at Dolvi plant, Raigad | JSW Steel
Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Jindal Steel Works (JSW) to spend Rs 1,60,80,000 on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, holding the company accountable for “procedural natured violations” at its Dolvi plant in Pen, Raigad district.
The order, issued by the Western Bench of the NGT, mandates JSW to complete the CSR expenditure within one year and submit detailed reports of the activities undertaken to its Board of Directors. These reports must also be published in the company’s annual report and updated on its website every six months until restoration measures are completed.
The case was initiated in 2022 by social activist Samita Patil and agriculturist Sunil Kothekar. The petition alleged large-scale environmental damage due to the unauthorized expansion of JSW’s steel plant, the construction of a coke oven facility, and conveyor belt infrastructure leading to its private jetty.
According to the complainants, these developments encroached on sensitive mangrove ecosystems near Dharamtar Creek, allegedly destroying 1.89 hectares of mangroves and disturbing natural water channels.
While JSW denied the allegations, stating that all necessary environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances had been obtained for the projects, the NGT found that certain constructions — particularly the conveyor belt — were carried out within 50 meters of mangroves, violating CRZ norms.
In its defense, the company cited multiple clearances granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), maintaining that no mangroves were within 50 meters of their construction sites at the time of approval. JSW also argued that the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and MoEF&CC had conducted inspections at regular intervals and had not found any violations until recently.
Regarding the damage to mangroves, the company, in its reply, blamed the loss on waste dumped by nearby village panchayats around the conveyor gallery. “The loss of mangroves, as alleged, if at all, is due to the dumping of waste by nearby panchayats around the conveyor gallery, as observed by the Joint Committee in the final report. This is affirmed by studies from the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) and the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), which recorded that a large area near the conveyor belt was occupied by domestic and solid waste dumping, resulting in significant mangrove loss,” the reply stated.
Further, addressing the issue of Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC) to be levied on JSW, the company referred to the complainants’ claims based on satellite imagery from 2011 to 2021, which showed that the area was previously full of mangroves that were depleted due to JSW’s alleged activities.
The order noted: “We find that the Joint Committee has suggested that, at the site in question beneath the conveyor belt, dumping of solid waste was found to have been done by local bodies. Calculation of EDC for the damage of 0.71 hectares has also been done against these local bodies. Therefore, while we find evidence of some damage to mangroves, the actual cause has not been conclusively determined.”
The order further reads: “As far any damage caused to the creek, JSW’s counsel submitted that, as a responsible corporate citizen, the company will submit a time-bound restoration plan. Although there is nothing on record proving JSW caused damage to the creek, we accept their proposal. The restoration plan shall be implemented under the supervision of the State of Maharashtra and the District Revenue Department and completed within one year from the date of uploading of this order.”
Meanwhile, JSW informed the NGT that it has already undertaken the plantation of over 19 lakh mangrove saplings across 380 hectares and has committed to planting mangroves on an additional 15 hectares under the supervision of the Mangrove Cell of Maharashtra and the District Revenue Department.