Environment ministry is giving a tough time to Honda Cars’ Rs 1,577-crore expansion plans

Honda Cars India Limited’s plan to expand its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan will have to wait for a while now. The environment ministry has asked for more details before giving the Rs 1,577 crore project a green nod.

The automaker proposed expansion of its production capacity at Tapukara along with indigenisation of various car parts to reduce costs.

Honda Cars sought green nod for expansion of aluminium melting from 20,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) to 30,000 TPA, propane storage from 50 tonnes to 100 tonnes and power back up from 4.9 MW to 37.3 MW.

The company has been asked to re-check non-methane hydro-carbons in ambient air and submit a detailed report on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, paint sludge disposal, water balance and net energy consumption for the plant, among others.

The ministry has also asked Honda Cars to submit medical reports of its workers, including audiometry, spirometry, musculoskeletal disorder and chest x-ray details.

"Honda Cars India's proposal was examined in a recent meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee desired additional information," said a government official.

Honda Cars, which has 17.68 lakh square meters of land for expansion, said it will develop a green belt area for control of air pollution and take adequate environment protection measures to minimise the impact of activities.

HCIL is planning to increase the production capacity of its Tapukara plant to 1.80 lakh units from the current 1.20 lakh.

The Tapukara plant integrates various functions, including operations for forging, casting, stamping, power-train components production, painting, engine assembly and frame assembly, as well as an engine testing facility.