Latest news with #SocialImpactAssessment
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Second WTE plant costing RM660 mln to be built in Sungai Udang, Melaka
PUTRAJAYA: The country's second Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant costing RM660 million will be built in Sungai Udang, Melaka, and is expected to be fully operational by 2029. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the Sungai Udang WtE project had undergone an open tender process and would be implemented through a Public-Private Partnership approach between the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) and a consortium comprising Malakoff Corporation Bhd and Alam Flora Environmental Solutions Sdn Bhd (AFES), based on the Build, Operate and Own (BOO) model. 'This plant will utilise stoker grate incineration technology that complies with all current technical requirements and environmental standards. 'The concessionaire has also shown commitment to constructing a second incineration line in the future to ensure uninterrupted operations, subject to new agreement negotiations,' he said at the Sungai Udang WtE Concession Agreement Signing Ceremony here today. The agreement was signed by KPKT Secretary-General Datuk M Noor Azman Taib; Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) chairman Hee Loy Sian and Sungai Udang WtE Sdn Bhd director Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib, and witnessed by Nga. Nga said the Sungai Udang WtE plant is expected to process up to 1,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, generate 22 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and reduce over 259,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually—equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting more than four million trees. He said the plant would also be equipped with a leachate treatment system with a capacity of 96 cubic metres and would be built on 9.8 acres of land at the existing Sungai Udang landfill site. In terms of implementation, Nga said the construction of the plant would begin next year and take three years to complete, after fulfilling various preconditions that have been set. These include key approvals such as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Environmental Management Plan (EMP), Solid Waste Management Plan (PSS), and several other technical documents required to ensure the safety and sustainability of the project. 'The concession period for this project is set at 34 years, including a three-year construction period. The Sungai Udang WtE plant is targeted to be fully operational by 2029, with the end of the concession and demolition of the plant scheduled for 2061,' he said. Nga also stated that the amount of solid waste generated by Malaysians is projected to increase to 17.03 million metric tonnes by the year 2035. This increase, he said, clearly signals that relying solely on landfill sites is not only unsustainable but also insufficient to accommodate the continuous rise in waste. 'It is time for us to re-evaluate our current approach and shift towards more sustainable solutions. WtE technology is emerging as one of the key drivers in transforming the national solid waste management system. 'This initiative is expected to contribute up to 600MW of renewable energy (RE) as part of the strategy to achieve 70 per cent renewable energy capacity by 2050,' he said. The first WtE plant was completed in 2023 at Ladang Tanah Merah, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, with a processing capacity of 800 tonnes of waste per day and energy generation of 15MW. WtE is a technology that converts non-recyclable waste materials into usable forms of energy, such as heat, electricity, or fuel.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
New observatory says 10K families evicted since 2022 across Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), an NGO that works for uplifting the deprived urban communities, has launched an eviction and displacement observatory on Tuesday. During the launch, the NGO also released a report reiterating the need for strengthening the resettlement and rehabilitation policy. The online observatory has information related to evictions across the state. From January 2022 to May 2025, around 9,724 families have been evicted across the state with nearly 39,000 people being resettled. Chennai and Coimbatore had the highest number of evictions. Currently, around 53,465 families comprising 2.13 lakh individuals across eight districts in the state continue to face eviction threats. In Chennai alone, 22,234 families were evicted across 95 settlements since December 2015, with 26,403 families now facing the threat of eviction. Chennai corporation, in its climate action plan, states around 65,000 families stand to be resettled. Notably, only five of the 95 settlements had Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and resettlement action plans, leaving 88% of these resettlements evicted in mid-academic year affecting the children's education. The observatory also displays the graphical representation on the number of families evicted and resettled along with mappings of existing relocation settlements in the city since 2000. With no proper resettlement action plan, it said TNUHDB was unable to plan mitigation measures to address issues related to vulnerabilities, loss of livelihood, and education of children. Till date, some children continue to travel 3 to 4 hours/day travelling 40 to 50 Km to access education from the Perumbakkam resettlement site. The report suggests that the R&R framework must be replaced with proper R&R policy.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
From compliance to credibility: A call for strategic action in sustainability reporting (BRSR in India)
Dr. Agyeya Tripathi has completed his Ph.D. and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and another Masters in Electronics and Communication. He is a national resource person for Financial Inclusion under National Rural Livelihood Mission, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. LESS ... MORE 'BRSR isn't just a format – It's the future of corporate trust' Let's be honest—when most professionals first glance at the BRSR, it feels like just another reporting requirement. A table to be filled, a deadline to be met, another checkbox on the ever-growing list of compliance mandates. But if you've been anywhere near ESG reporting over the last year, you know BRSR is not just a form. It's a signal. A shift. A quiet but powerful push from SEBI telling us: 'It's time to go deeper.' And that's exactly the point. BRSR is not where the story ends—it's where the work begins. Take a recent conversation I had with a sustainability officer at a large listed company. She showed me a beautifully populated BRSR report. Every field was filled. Every metric reported. But when I asked, 'What's the theory of change behind your CSR initiatives?' there was a pause. It wasn't that they hadn't done anything meaningful—it's that the narrative and the numbers weren't connected. That's where many of us are right now: compliant, but not yet strategic. Here's what we're all starting to realize—BRSR and Social Impact Assessment are not the same thing. One is a format for disclosing what's been done; the other is a method to evaluate how well and how meaningfully it was done. But they're also not separate. In fact, when done right, they complement each other beautifully. BRSR helps structure and standardize reporting. Impact assessments dig into the soul of that data. Now, why does all of this matter more than ever? Because from FY 2023–24 onwards, India's top 150 listed companies are not just expected to report under BRSR Core—they're required to get third-party assurance. That means someone independent has to look at metrics like GHG emissions, wages, water use, gender diversity, and occupational health and safety—and confirm that the numbers are real, accurate, and meaningful. And by FY 2026–27, that assurance won't just be 'limited'—it'll move toward reasonable assurance, the kind of deep audit-like scrutiny that demands solid systems, documentation, and governance. This is where things get exciting for governance professionals—especially Company Secretaries. CS professionals are trained to be the bridge between law and practice, boardroom and operations, compliance and conscience. They understand disclosures, risks, documentation, ethics. And in this new world of ESG assurance, those very skills make them natural candidates to coordinate assurance processes, advise on ESG disclosures, build internal systems, or even become social impact assessors themselves—especially with the right upskilling. And then came the news that took this from important to urgent. In June 2025, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced a global standard: banks around the world, including in India, will now have to disclose climate-related financial risks—aligned with frameworks like TCFD and ISSB (IFRS S2). That means Indian regulators, like the RBI, will soon mandate banks to publish not only their sustainability practices but the actual financial risks they face from climate change—floods, droughts, transition risks, carbon pricing, stranded assets. Now think about this: banks are already filing BRSR. Soon, they'll need to deepen their disclosures to include climate risk—and these disclosures will require strong assurance and governance. That's not just about sustainability anymore. That's about financial stability. That's Basel. This has a ripple effect: Banks will push ESG and climate risk disclosures down to their borrowers—listed companies, SMEs, large suppliers. Value chain reporting, currently voluntary under BRSR, may become de facto mandatory. Assurance becomes critical—not just for compliance, but for investor trust, risk management, and capital access. And who can step into this expanding gap? Again, Company Secretaries—if they choose to. With the right skills—understanding ESG frameworks (BRSR Core, GRI, ISSB), assurance standards (ISAE 3000, AA1000AS), and social impact tools (SROI, logic models, stakeholder engagement)—CS professionals can evolve from compliance checkers to strategic advisors, ESG assurance coordinators, or certified impact evaluators. They can serve in companies, with banks, in consulting roles, or even as part of third-party assurance teams. India may be rolling this out more gradually than the EU, but the direction is unmistakable. The EU's double materiality approach, value chain disclosures, and mandatory assurance under CSRD are already influencing global supply chains. Indian companies that export, partner, or seek foreign capital will need to match those expectations. And that means professionals supporting them—especially CS—need to be future-ready. If there's one message that cuts through all of this, it's this: Assurance is no longer just a nice-to-have. It's the new language of credibility. And if BRSR is the sentence, assurance is the punctuation mark that gives it clarity and power. So no, BRSR is not just a form. It's not just another compliance task. It's an invitation. To think deeper, report better, govern smarter. And to step into a role that's not only emerging—but essential. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Authorities decide to commence land acquisition for Sabari rail
Bringing renewed hope to more than 2,000 families across central Travancore whose properties have been marked for the long-pending Sabari rail project, the Revenue department has decided to resume land acquisition for the project. Official sources said an online high-level meeting convened by the State government on Wednesday has directed the District Collectors of Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam to proceed with acquiring the required land. As part of this renewed effort, the previously functional land acquisition offices at Perumbavoor and Pala will be reopened, while new offices are slated to be established in Muvattupuzha and Kanjirappally. 'Work on the project is expected to formally begin with the visit of a high-level team from the Indian Railways early next month,' sources said. The meeting also decided to retain the existing alignment of the rail line. The project is being planned in such a way that land acquisition and construction can proceed simultaneously. 24.4 hectares acquired So far, 24.4 hectares of land have been acquired for the project in the Angamaly–Kalady stretch. However, more than 200 hectares still need to be acquired across the three districts. In the first phase, land will be acquired from Kalady to Ramapuram. The second phase, covering the stretch from Ramapuram to Erumely, will follow completion of alignment surveys and a Social Impact Assessment (SIA). 'A special revenue team will be deployed for this purpose,' the sources added. As the initial notification for acquiring land for the project was issued prior to the introduction of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act in 2013, the government will have to restart the entire process in accordance with the new legislation. According to officials, a new government order (GO) for the land acquisition will be issued shortly to commence the proceedings. CM's meet The approval for the construction of the rail line connecting Angamaly and Erumely, the gateway to Sabarimala was announced after a meeting held between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi recently. The 111.48-km line was proposed in the 1997-98 Budget.
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
State comes up with final order to acquire land for Sabarimala airport
The State government has brought out the final order for acquiring land for the Sabarimala Greenfield airport project under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013. The order, issued by Sheeba George, Additional Secretary (Revenue) is in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 11 of the LARR Act and states that a total of 1,001.873 hectares (2,475.68 acres) is required to be acquired for the project in Erumeli South and Manimala villages. This includes 2,263-acre Cheruvally estate, which is currently under the possession of the Ayana Charitable Trust and land located outside the estate. Individuals involved in the land acquisition process are encouraged to raise any grievances within 15 days regarding the updating of land records or titles in relation to the land proposed for acquisition. Objections concerning the area and suitability of the land proposed for acquisition, justification for public purpose and the findings of the Social Impact Assessment report should be submitted within 60 days. 'Any objection or statement which is received after the due date and which does not clearly explain as how the objector is interested in the land, is liable to be summarily rejected,' reads the order. The new order was issued after considering the Social Impact Assessment report, recommendations from the expert committee based on the SIA report and the district Collector's report on it. In the report, the District Collector had stated that the land be acquired under Section 7 (5) of the LARR Act. This is the second time that the State government is going through the land acquisition process as the previous notifications for both the SIA and land acquisition were revoked by the government following objections from the Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia) and local residents. They challenged in the court the legitimacy of the initial SIA study, which had been conducted by the Centre for Management Development, citing the organisation's links with the State Industries department. In the next step, the government will begin the official survey of the land as per section 12 and prepare a file of the precise extent of land to be acquired along with its survey numbers. It will be followed by a declaration of the rehabilitation and resettlement (RR) package, as outlined in section 19 (1) of the LARR Act. Stup Consultants Ltd, appointed by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), is in the process of preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the project. Once the DPR is completed and submitted to the KSIDC, it will be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation for further review.
