Comments on the proposed amendment to EC of ITPCL, Cuddalore

IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Limited (ITPCL), which runs a 1200 MW coal-based power plant in Cuddalore, is seeking to amend its Environmental Clearance (issued in May 2010), to change the nature of its coal- from fully imported Indonesian coal to a blend of 25 % lignite(from Neyveli Lignite Corporation's mines) and 75 % imported Indonesian coal. This proposal, which now involves transporting lignite by road passing through 29 villages, is being labelled 'modernisation'. Here are CAG's comments on why the proposed change- without a thorough EIA- is problematic.