In Brief
The Supreme Court quashed the Environmental Clearance for a greenfield airport at Mopa, Goa, finding serious procedural defects in the EIA process. The project proponent failed to disclose that 54,676 trees required felling, falsely claiming only "few trees, mainly bushes" existed. The EIA report inadequately addressed Ecologically Sensitive Zones within the study area and lacked proper flora-fauna data collection. The EAC (Expert Appraisal Committee) failed to apply expert reasoning, relying instead on extraneous considerations. The NGT conducted no meaningful merits review. The Court suspended the EC and directed the EAC to reconsider conditions within one month, emphasizing that environmental governance must comply strictly with procedural norms and rule-of-law principles.
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