India’s Supreme Court has declined to grant permission for Lafarge to mine limestone in the eastern state of Meghalaya. In February the court ordered Lafarge Surma Cement to stop mining. In this latest ruling, the company has been ordered to obtain a fresh Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from the federal environmental agency before it can resume limestone mining operations. The limestone is mined for the company’s cement plant in Bangladesh, adjacent to Meghalaya.
In November 2007, the court had granted temporary permission for the company to transport 600 000 t of limestone lying in the quarry sites after Lafarge pointed out that the material would damage the environment during the monsoon. The limestone had been transported across the border to the plant in Bangladesh by a 17 km conveyor belt.
The Supreme Court has scheduled another hearing for 9 April.