Birla Corporation receives Rs 8.42 crore penalty for environmental violation

The flagship company of the MP Birla Group, Birla Corporation Ltd, announced on Tuesday, October 10, that it would be subject to an 8.42-crore fine for producing too much limestone in Madhya Pradesh between 2000-01 and 2006-07 without obtaining the necessary environmental clearance as required by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 1994.

The company just obtained an order from the Office of Collector (Mining), Satna in Madhya Pradesh, dated October 9, 2023.

The corporation has cited the uncertainty in the EIA Notification of 1994's rules as the reason it was unable to acquire environmental clearance during that time.

It's important to note that these provisions' clarity only became apparent later, in accordance with the guidelines established in the Common Cause decision handed down by the Supreme Court on August 2, 2017.

The company claims that even though it didn't obtain an environmental permit during the time period stated, the State Pollution Control Board nonetheless gave it a legitimate permit to operate its mines.

Following receipt of the directive from the Office of Collector (Mining), Birla Corporation Ltd immediately started an investigation. The business is carefully considering what to do in response to this development.