Lohanchal Colony, Plot No. 10, Besid Colony

Date: 30.11.2019

The Member Secretary, Director Environment Impact Assessment Committee on Industry-1 Indira Paryavaran Bhawan JorBagh Road, AliGanj, Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Changes, Government of India, New Delhi-110003.

Sub: Environmental Clearance for Integrated Steel Plant of Electrosteel Steels Limited for production of 3.0 MTPA Hot Metal with Blast Furnace (1×1050 m3, 1×350 m3, 1×1700 m3) along with CPP of Capacity 160 MW located at Village Siyaljori, Bhagabandh, Budhibinor, Alkusha, Dhandabar, Bandhdih, Hutupathar, District- Bokaro, and Jharkhand. Regarding Application for ToR

Dear Sir, We would like to inform you that Environmental clearance issued in respect of M/s Electrosteel Steels Integrated Ltd for setting up Integrated Steel Plant (3.0 MTPA) at Parbatpur, Jharkhand vide no F.No.J-11011/137/2008-IAII (J) dated 21st February 2008, Accordingly Consent to Establish was obtained from Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board as per provision under Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution)Act ,1981 on 05.05.2008. After obtaining required NOCs, construction work started and CTE has been duly renewed from time to time in accordance with the compliance of construction at par with Environmental Clearance. During the extension of CTE beyond 04.05.2010, JSPCB issued show cause notice on the basis of Divisional Forest Officer memo dated 04.05.2010 alleging ongoing construction is being carried out on a part of Forest land. On due compliance to the show cause notice and in lieu of earlier suit no 26/1989 pending in Supreme court , JSPCB extended the validity of CTE upto 04,05.2011. When ESL about to complete the construction work applied for consent to operate and same has been deemed approved on the verdict of the Order of High Court of Jharkhand at ranch W.P.(C) No.2247 of 2012, W.P.(C) No.2033 of 2015 and operation started.

Meanwhile the name of company changed from M/s Electrosteel Integrated Ltd to M/s Electro steel Steels Ltd and No objection certificate obtained from MoEF & CC vide letter dated 9th February, 2012.

Regd Office : 801, Uma Shanti Apartments, Kanke Road, Ranchi-834 008,Jharkhand, India Tel: 0651 2285636 www.electrosteelsteels.com, CIN: L27310JH2006PLC012663 Corp. Office : Lohanchal Colony, Plot No. 10, Beside Sector 12,Bokaro Steel City - 827013,Jharkhand, India Thereafter, M/s ESL was admitted under Corporate Insolvency Resolution process in terms of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 ("IBC") and the insolvency proceedings were commenced against M/s ESL by State Bank of India, pursuant to order dated July 21, 2017 passed by the Hon'ble National Company Law Tribunal, Kolkata Bench ("NCLT"). to revive the company and keep it in operation as a ‘going concern’ besides resolving the gross NPA due to huge exposure of banks and financial institutions in ESL. The NCLT, vide its order dated April 17, 2018 under Section 31(1) of the IBC, approved the ‘Resolution Plan’ submitted by the Vedanta Limited for ESL vide its Order dated August 10, 2018.

Consequent to the above, Vedanta Limited has acquired 90% equity shareholding in ESL with effective date of June 4, 2018 and also re-constituted the board of directors of ESL.

The new management has planned to comply all the irregularity pending against the project and invest further to expand the project for achieving optimum utilisation of assets.

The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board denied extending the CTO (Consent to Operate) on 21.08.2018. ESL challenged the denial of CTO by JSPCB in the same WP(C) No.1873/2018 before Hon'ble High Court, Jharkhand. The Hon'ble High Court in its order dated 25.08.2018 directed the MoEF & CC, Gol to dispose the show cause notice of June’2012 by giving the opportunity of hearing to the company. The MoEF & CC, Gol granted an opportunity to the project proponent for a personal hearing on 10.09.2018 and thereafter decided to revoke the EC vide order dated 20.09.2018.

The Project Proponent again challenged the revocation of EC in WP(C) No. 4850/2018 wherein the Hon'ble High Court, Jharkhand vide order dated 27.09.2018 granted the interim relief staying implementation of the EC revocation order till 10.10.2018, which has been extended in subsequent hearings.

The project proponent was allowed the opportunity to apply for revised Environmental Clearance and Forest Clearance under protest and without prejudice to their rights over the land alleged to be forest.

Regd Office : 801, Uma Shanti Apartments, Kanke Road, Ranchi-834 008,Jharkhand, India Tel: 0651 2285636 www.electrosteelsteels.com, CIN: L27310JH2006PLC012663 Corp. Office : Lohanchal Colony, Plot No. 10, Beside Sector 12,Bokaro Steel City - 827013,Jharkhand, India Thereby ESL filed a forest diversion proposal for regularization of the alleged violations of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and in light of order dated 25.8.2018 of Hon’ble High Court of Jharkhand in the case of WPC 1873 of 2018 and 4850 of 2018. The Forest Appraisal Committee in its meeting held on 26.09.2019 has recommended the proposal for in-principle approval which is under active consideration at MOEF-HO for issuance of Stage-1 order.

Moreover, in order to optimise land, Vedanta Ltd. has taken due consideration to the available land under possession of 374.81 ha contiguous land to setup the total units deemed for production of 3.0 MTPA Hot Metal with Blast Furnace (1×1050 m3, 1×350 m3, 1×1700 m3) along with CPP of Capacity 160 MW by same facility in a state-of-art operation at ESL location, as applied in DRP proposal, with Stage-I approval under consideration after FAC Approval.

With above submission, M/s ESL look forward to a permanent resolution and settlement of the entire issues request your office for issuance of ToR as applied for which obliged.