iucn trip report to acc gagal

8/2/2019 Iucn Trip Report to Acc Gagal

1/16

TripReporttoACCGagalCementWorks,Himachal

Pradesh

June2227,2009

Introduction

InDecember2008,ACCLimitedapproachedtheIUCNIndiacountryofficetoseek itsassistanceon

strengthening biodiversity values at its plant at Gagal in the northern Indian state of Himachal

Pradesh.(GagalisoneamongACCs14plantsitesacrossIndia.)

Following discussions with the Managing Director ofACC and other senior management staff at

Mumbai in March 2009 and considering the potential engagement of the private sector in

biodiversity conservation, IUCN India decided to undertake a scoping visit along with a team of

experts drawn from IUCNs member organisations in India. A visit to the plant at Gagal was

undertakenfromJune2227,2009.

Theoverall aim of this visitwas to assess anddefine the scopeofwork in termsof biodiversity

conservationthatcouldbeundertakeninthearea.Thekeyobjectiveswere:

OverviewofACCsoperations Discussionswithkeystakeholders AssessmentofthebiodiversityrelatedactivitiesoftheGagalplant Assessmentofthesocio economicvariablesinthearea DefiningthescopeofworkthatcouldbeundertakenbyIUCN

Missioncomposition

Themission

comprised:

Dr.K.Ramesh,WildlifeInstituteofIndia(IUCNMemberorganisation) UshaSrinivasan,DevelopmentAlternatives(IUCNMemberorganisation) VijayChaturvedi,DevelopmentAlternatives MayukhHajra,DevelopmentAlternatives ShiraneeYasaratne,BusinessBiodiversityProgramme,IUCNAsiaRegionalOffice,Bangkok BirenBhuta,IUCNIndiaOffice AditiMehandiratta,IUCNIndiaOffice.

Itineraryandconsultations

Beforeundertaking the scopingmission, apreparatorymeeting forplanning and strategizing the

missionwasorganizedattheIUCNIndiaOffice,NewDelhionJune16,2009.Themeetingfacilitated

interactionbetweentherepresentativesfromACCandtheIUCNteamforthescopingmission,giving

theteamanopportunitytohaveapreliminaryideaaboutthearea.Basedonthis,atentativeaction

planwasdeveloped for themission.The teamvisited theplant,mines, townshipand thenearby

villages,interactedwithACCofficialsandlocalcommunitiesaswellascollectedsecondarydatasuch

as area maps, plant maps, mining schemes, social survey reports, EIA report, plantation plans,


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photographs,etc.The laterpartofthevisitwasdedicatedto interactionwithgovernmentofficials

liketheDistrictCollectorandForestOfficer(DFO)andoverallcompilationoftheobservationsand

furtherplansofaction.ThedetaileditineraryofthevisitisgiveninAnnexureI.

ACCGagalPlantAnIntroduction

Commissionedon

12

th

March

1984,

Gagal

Cement

Works

(GCW)

is

part

of

Indias

largest

cement

company, ACC Ltd. It is located near Barmana in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, on the

NationalHighwayNH21,connectingAmbalaandManali.Installedwithacapacityof5.6Lakhtonnes

ofcementperannum,ithasmodernizedandexpandedtoatotalcapacityof4.64milliontonnesof

cementperannum.GCWisamarketleaderinthenorthernregionandmaintainsitsmarketsharein

allstrategicmarkets.

ACCsGagalCementWorks:NestledamidstthehillsACCLtd

Located intheeco sensitivezoneoftheHimalayas,thecompanyhasbeenpro active inworking

towardsenvironmentalconservation andpollutioncontrol. Ithas reportedlyplantedmore than1

million trees over a period of 12 years, in and around the factory premises. As part of the

environmentmanagementsystem,GCWhasbeenregularly investing intechnologicalupgradation

to

achieve

both

economic

and

environmental

efficiency.

Mines

ThetotalminingareawithGCWis231.25hectarescomprisingBarmanaHillandGagalHill.Ofthis,

52hectaresistheactiveminingareaandformspartoftheGagalHill.Fromaninitialheightof947m,

thehillhasbeenmineddownto650mandthecompanyplanstominedownfurtherupto500m.It

is expected that this level would be reached over the next 25 years, after which, further


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reconnaissancewouldbecarriedouttoassessmorepotentialforextraction.Ifnotfoundviable,the

companyplanstousethecratercreatedpostminingforharvestingofwater.

Inspectingthemines.(ltor)AditiMehandiratta,DrKRamesh,VijayChaturvediACCLtd

TheGagalminehas abelt lengthof1.5km. Limestone isblastedbyusing abenchingprocess i.e

dividingthehill intobenches.Blasting iscarriedout34days inaweekandusuallybetween1pm

and3pm.About20000tonnesareminedineachblast.

In2001,ACCadoptedtheNonelectricBottomInitiationDetonatortechniqueovertheconventional

detonating fusetechnology forblasting.Moresophisticateddetonatorsareusedtoday inorderto

minimize the impact of the blast on the surrounding areas. The vibrations and noise levels are

measuredattheclosestmonitoringstationi.e.attheminingoffice.AccordingtoACC,thevibration

limitsarewellwithinprescribedlimits.

TheIUCNteamhadachancetowitnessoneblast.Thevibrationsandnoisegeneratedweremuffled

and the dust emissions appeared to be minimal and localised. The team was informed that the

throwoftheblastedmaterialisabout20mto30m.

Thevillagessurroundingtheminesareatadistanceofmorethan500mfromtheblastingsite. In

laterinteractionswithlocalcommunities,theteamwasinformedthatseveralhouseshaddeveloped

cracks.Theyattributedthesetothevibrationscausedduetotheblasting.ACCofficialsmaintainthat

thecracks, ifany,aredueto faultyconstructionsand that,thecompanyhasconductedstudies in

thepasttodemonstratetovillagersthatthereareminimalvibrationstocausecracks.However,the

perceptionspersist.Theteambelievesthatthecompanyshouldtrytodispeltheseperceptionsand

alsodemonstratesoundtechniquesforconstructinghouses.


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At present, the Barmana Hill is inactive and not operational. The companys efforts towards

reclamation by extensive heterogeneous plantations, are highly commendable. Protection of the

areahasalsoassistedthenaturalregenerationprocess.However,theteamwasinformedthatthere

isapossibilitythatinfuture,thishillmightbeexploredforanyfurtherdepositsoflimestone.

Alandscapeinthequarry:ApproachroadtotheminesACCLtd

CementPlant

GCWcomprisestwounits:GagalIandGagalII.ACChas investedcontinuouslyandconsiderablyto

upgradetheplantinfrastructureaswellascementmanufacturingtechniquestoincreaseeconomic

aswellasenvironmentalefficiency.

To reduce sourceemissions, the companyhas installed11bag houses,85bag filters and2 ESPs

(ElectroStatic Processors). These have resulted in drastic reduction in the stack emission levels,

which are now maintained at less than 20 ppm. In fact, not only do the bag houses filter the

emissions,theyalsofeeditbacktothemanufacturingprocess.Thisnotonlyreducesemissions,but

alsomakesgreateconomicsense.


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BagHouses:Reducing&ReusingACCLtd

TheplanthasinstalledamonitoringstationtoconstantlymonitorSOx,NOxandSPMlevels.

Fugitiveemissionsareabiggercauseforconcern.ACChasputinplacedustsuppressionsystemslike

water sprinklers to tackle these emissions, whether on the conveyor which carries the quarried

limestonefromtheminestotheplant,orattheenclosedstockyardswhichstorecoal,gypsumand

flyash.However,currentefforts tocurb fugitiveemissionsmightneedaugmentationand further

improvements.

CoveredConveyors,butemissionsfugitiveACCLtd

Thepackingareaalsoposesachallenge intermsoffugitiveemissions.Everytime,acementbag is

transferred,beitalongtheconveyororfromtheconveyorontothetruck,thereissomeamountof

leakage. ACC management could explore and seriously pursue options like using paper bags or

despatchingcementinbulkquantities.(TheenclosedbunkersthatareusedtobringflyashtoGagal


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plantgobackempty.Thesecouldbeusedtodespatchbulkcement.)GCW istryingoutpackaging

usinglaminatedbags.

Thecompanysgreeningeffortsevenwithin theplantpremiseshaveensuredacleaner, relatively

dustfreeenvironment.

AlternateFuels

&

Raw

Materials

(AFR)

TheconceptofAFR,thoughpractisedbyHolcimforthelastthreedecades,isarecentintroduction

to ACC. It involves substituting mainstream non renewable fuel resources like coal with

replenishablealternatefuels.AsubsidiaryactivityofAFRiswastecoprocessingwhichisbasicallya

meansofwastemanagement.

UnderthemainstreamAFRactivities,currentlytheGagalplantisusingmillscale(arejectfromsteel

rollingmills)asasubstituteforironore.Itisalsoassessingthefeasibilityofharnessingthepotential

of pineneedles as an alternative fuel.However,despite thehigh calorific valueof pineneedles,

thereareseverallimitingfactorsforitsuse.Collectionofpineneedlesfromtheforestfloorisoneof

the

major

issues

of

concern.

Also,

due

to

the

voluminous

nature

of

the

needles,

the

cost

of

transportation increases. The pine needles are extremely inflammable, hence a safety issue.

Processingthepineneedlesforuseasasourceoffuelforthekilnswouldaddfurthertothecost.

PineNeedles:AnAlternativeFuel?IUCN

TheAFRdivision isexploringotheroptionsforalternative fuelssuchasricehusk,jatropha,castor,

etc.Therehavebeennosignificantbreakthroughsasyet.


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Waste coprocessing, however, provides a wonderful business opportunity for GCW. The AFR

division at Gagal spent its first few years in selfeducation on waste coprocessing and then

educatingandmakingthestateGovernment,MoEFandotherstakeholdersawareofthepotential

ofcementplantsinwastecoprocessing.Italsoinventorizedthetypeofwastethatcouldbedirectly

usedinthekilnwithoutimpactingontheclinkerqualityorenvironmentalemissions.

Theplant

follows

strictly

all

national

norms

for

handling

waste

that

is

delivered

for

co

processing.

Coprocessing isa servicewhichACC extends to companies generatingwaste.Atpresent,10 15

tonnes of waste is coprocessed daily. The transportation of the waste to the plant is the

responsibilityof thewastegenerator.Onentry, thewaste ischeckedphysically;aspotanalysis is

undertaken,andifitisfoundtobeofasuitable,previouslyagreeduponnature,thenitisletinthe

plantcampusandissentforcoprocessing.

Theteamwas informedthatcurrently,ACCGagalhasagreementswithHindustanUnileverLimited

(HUL)andtheKulluMunicipalitytocoprocesstheirwaste.InthecaseofHUL,ACCcoprocessesall

traderejectsandexpiredproductsfromHULsdepotatParwanoo,located140kmsaway.TheKullu

Municipalitysendsitssortedmunicipalwastes,especiallyplastics,totheACCplant.

Thewastegeneratedintheplantitself,whichincludespaperwastesandwasteoilyragsandcloths,

isalsocoprocessed.However,sincethehouseholdwastegenerated inthetownshipaswellas in

the surroundingvillages isnot segregated, it isnotyetused forco processing.This is something

which theACCmanagementmightwant to seriouslyconsider,as itwillalsohelp in reducing the

monkeymenace,whichtownshipresidentsandlocalcommunitieskeepcomplainingabout.Besides,

giventheavailableopportunity forwastecoprocessing,an integratedwastemanagementsystem

fortheentiretownshipwouldgoalongwayindevelopingitasamodeltownship.

Township

Acrossthe

plant,

ACC

has

developed

awell

planned

township

with

extensive

plantations

and

measures likewaterharvestingdemonstrationstructures,vermicompostingpits,useofrootzone

technologyforeffluenttreatment(thetreatedwateristhenusedinplantationactivities)andaplant

nursery.

RootZoneTechnology:Recyclingwater....Naturally.IUCN


8/16


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All theseplantationshavebeen theprimary responsibilityof theplanthorticulturist,V.D.Thakur.

Accordingtohim,nativespecieshavebeenselectedforplantation,exceptincertaincases,wherea

fastgrowingspecieslikeEucalyptushasbeenpreferred.

EucalyptusPatch:Outofplace?DevelopmentAlternatives

Asaresultofthisgreeningeffortandalsoduetohabitatdiversity,theoverallbiodiversityvalueof

the area seems to show a positive trend. During the short stay of six days, as part of a casual

observation, the IUCN team recorded around 30 species of birds, including Black Francolin

(partridge)andafewmammalspecies.

BiodiversityatGagalWildlifeInstituteofIndia

Apart from improving the biodiversity, these efforts have also provided fringe benefits to the

surrounding areas in terms of a clean, green environment and to the local villagers in terms of

providingfuelwood.Despite75%ofthemhavingLPGconnections,theystillopt forfuelwood for

cookingpurposes,bothduetocostconsiderationsasalsoduetothefreeavailabilityoffarmwastes

whichanywayneedstobemanaged.


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Althougheffortstodatehavebeencommendable,theplantauthoritiesadmittothefactthattheir

understanding on biodiversity is limited and therein lies great scope for understanding and

enhancingthebiodiversityvalueofthearea.

InteractionswithLocalCommunities

Thereare

8villages

which

lie

in

close

vicinity

of

the

plant

as

well

as

the

mines.

The

residents

of

these

villages seem to enjoy sufficient incomes, as evidenced from their dwellings. Most have land

holdingsrangingfrom0.5to5acres.Agriculture(mainlymaizeandsugarcanecultivation)isstillthe

primary occupation, though many have ventured into businesses like floriculture or commercial

transportation.TheyouthmostlyaspireforGovernmentjobs.

Thevillagecommunitiesapparentlyenjoyadecentstandardoflivingwithouthavingtocompromise

onbasicneeds.Thisprovidesthethresholdonwhichsecondary level interventionscanbebuiltto

demonstratemodel initiatives for sustainable communitydevelopment andhigher levelof socio

economicsecurity.

GroundRealities:InteractionwithLocalCommunitiesWildlifeInstituteofIndia

TheIUCNteamhadachancetovisitafewvillageslikeKunanoo,Baloh,Dhaun,Kothi,Barmanaand

Baterand interactwith localcommunities.Byand large,thecommunitieswerequiteappreciative

andsupportiveofthevariousinterventionsthatthecompanyhasmadeinthevillages.Thereseems

tobeanetpositive impactdue toACCspresence in the region.Access tohealthandeducation

facilitieshas improved.Theeducation levelshavegoneupwithnearlyalltheyouthstudyingupto

Class X. Village roads have been constructed, which has catalysed development. Avenues for


11/16

employment have opened up. A case in point is the trucking industry which has had a huge

multipliereffect.

However, communities seem to have certain misgivings regarding the company. While ACC has

provided drinking water to 4 villages, the company water supply has not reached some villages

whichstillfaceshortages.Thereareconcernsthattheblastingintheminesmaybecausingcracksin

theirhouses.

Company

officials

maintain

that

studies

in

the

past

have

clearly

shown

that

these

fears

areunfounded.

There isageneralsenseofappreciationforthegreeningeffortsbythecompanyandthesalutary

effect that these have had on the environment. However, there have been some unexpected

consequences.Whilstearlier the landscapewasdry anddenuded,withno forests and very little

wildlife;now,wildboars,deerandmonkeyshavebeenobserved,whicharealsoproving tobea

menace,bothforagricultureaswellasforlocalcommunities,especiallywomenandchildren.There

hasbeenamarkedincreaseinthenumberofmananimalconflictsinthearea.Thishasbecomean

important and serious issue but we believe that it can be resolved with more planning and

understanding. In this context, a need has been felt for awareness generation amongst the

communityon

biodiversity

benefits

in

terms

of

ecosystem

services

as

well

as

the

unique

livelihood

opportunities it provides. This would not only promote the adoption of bioresources based

sustainable livelihoodsbutalsohelp inpartneringwiththecommunitiesasalliesforthesuccessof

theenvironmentconservationeffortsinitiatedbyACC.

TheACCAHEADprogrammehasbeen initiatedacrossACCplants in Indiaby thewomensgroup

comprisingthewivesofofficialspostedattheplants.AtGagal,ACCAheadhasbeeninstrumentalin

formingaruralwomensgroupformakingvariousspicemixesandhandicraftsandretailingthrough

thecooperativestorescatering to the township.Currently, thegroupconsistsofonly4members

andtheenterprise isfairlysuccessful,owing innosmallmeasuretothereadilyavailabletownship

clientele.However,thegroupisyettoprogresstoselfhelpmode,asthewomenareinvolvedonlyin

theskilledlabourandnotinthefinancialmanagementormarketing(whichisbeingsteeredbythe

cooperativestoreowner).

Whilethereisahugepotentialtoscaleuptheformationofselfhelpgroups,itwillbeimportantto

simultaneously build their entrepreneurial skills to facilitate the long term sustainability of the

enterprises. Such interventionsareessentialtopromote financial independenceofthewomen in

theareaandwouldalsohavepositivespinoffsintermsofwomenbeingempoweredtovoicetheir

concernsandtakeactionforcommunitydevelopment.

Trucks

TheIUCN

team

met

up

with

office

bearers

of

the

Bilaspur

District

Truck

Operators

Co

operative

TransportSociety.Withover4000trucks,itisAsiaslargesttruckersunion.

Althoughtruckingisaflourishingbusinessinthearea,therearetwomajorissuesrelatedtoit:

1. RiseinpollutionlevelsintheareabecauseoftruckmovementsThePresidentoftheUnionhimselfacceptedthat theemissions fromthetrucksaremuch

higherthantheemissionsfromtheplant.Thereare4000trucksenteringorexitingtheACC

plant every day. With another 3000 trucks plying for the Gujarat Ambuja Cement plant


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locatednearby, thenumbersarequitestaggering.Mostofthese truckshavebeenon the

roadforover15years.Whatwouldbeidealisifthesesingleaxle,9tonnetrucksrunningon

dieselarereplacedwithnew,multiaxle,15tonnetrucksrunningoncleanerfuel likeCNG.

However, voluntary conversionsmaynotbe forthcoming in the absenceof any stringent

legislationforthesame.

2. UnavailabilityofTruckDriversThiscurrentlyisamajorconcernfortheunion.Thoughthedemandfortrucksisincreasing,

however, there are not enough drivers available. The number of youth opting for this

professionisdecliningasitislookeddownuponbysocietyandevengirlsarenowhesitant

tomarrytruckdrivers.Again,replacing lowercapacitytruckswithhighercapacityoneswill

reducetherequirementoftrucksandhence,ofdrivers.

TheUnionsaysthat itwilleducatethetruckersbut it lookstowardsACCforhelp.One immediate

solutionwouldbe to starta truckdriving school thatwill encouragemorepeople topursue the

profession.

Interactionswithdistrictofficials

The IUCN team travelled to Bilaspur to meet Ms Nandita Gupta, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of

BilaspurdistructandMrPRana,DistrictForestOfficer(DFO)ofBilaspur.

TheteamhighlightedconcernsaboutthetruckstotheDC.Already,therearemorethan7000trucks

plyingeveryday. Intheabsenceofarailway lineandwithmorecementplantsbeingproposed in

neighbouringdistricts,thisproblemwillonlyexacerbate.Apartfromcausingpollution,thesetrucks

willalsoleadtocongestionalongthemainhighwayleadinguptothepopulartouristdestinationof

Manali.Thiscouldhaveseriousimplicationsontourismandrevenuestothestate.Theonlywayto

reducecongestionaswellaspollution is to replaceoldgeneration truckswithmodernones.The

DCsoffice couldplayamajor rolebypushing for relevant legislationorpolicy interventionsand

then,ensuring

strict

implementation.

TheteampointedouttotheDCthattheKulluMunicipalityhastakenaleadinsortingoutitswaste

and sending the sortedwastematerial to theACCplant for incinerating in thekilns.Bilaspurand

othertownscouldfollowsuit.

TheDCwasextremelyopenandreceptivetooursuggestionsandsowastheDFO,whentheteam

visitedhim.TheplannedbiodiversityassessmentsatGagalwereexplainedwith theadvantageof

servingasausefulbenchmarkforsimilarassessmentsinthedistrictandeveninthestate.TheDFO

expressedhisinterestandwillingnesstobepartoftheassessmentteam.

The

DFO

was

interested

in

the

prospects

of

collecting

and

using

pine

needles

as

a

subsidiary

fuel

sourcebyACC.Hepointedoutthat, if it isfoundtobetechnicallyandcommerciallyviable,then it

wouldbeawinwinwinsituationforallstakeholdersinvolved.TheForestDepartmentwouldhave

to deal with fewer forest fires and hence, lesser threat to wildlife. Local people would get

employmentand incomegenerationopportunitiesby collectingandprocessing thepineneedles.

ACCwould finda substitute forcoal, thereby reducing itscarbon footprint.TheDFOsaid thathis

officewouldextendallsupportandhelpforthisinitiative.


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Keyobservations

Aspartofthewrapupsessiononthelastday,theIUCNteamgaveapresentationtotheACCGagal

management.FollowingabriefbackgroundaboutIUCNanditsBusiness&BiodiversityProgramme,

examples of partnerships forged globally by IUCN and the private sector were highlighted. The

natureoftherelationshipbetweenIUCNandHolcimatthegloballevelandalsotheworkthatIUCN

doeswith

Holcim

in

various

countries

in

Asia,

like

Sri

Lanka,

Bangladesh

and

Vietnam

were

described.Theteamthenshared itsobservationsduringthecourseofthevisittoGagal,withthe

ACCmanagement:

TheACCManagementhasshownappreciableconcernfortheenvironment. The environmental parameters for the plant and the mines seem to be well within

prescribednationalnorms.

Thereisconsiderablebiodiversitywithinthesite,whichindicateshealthyhabitatdiversity. Thegreeningandreclamationeffortsarelaudable.Theyhaveassistednaturalregeneration. Certainspecieswithlessbiodiversityvaluehavebeenfavoured,maybeinresponsetoearly

compulsions,butcouldbereconsidered.

Recordswithregardtobiodiversityenhancementeffortscouldbe improvedforthebenefitofassessingimprovementsandtrends. Fugitivedustisanareaofconcernattheminingandplantsites. Waterscarcityandanimalmenacearetheprimeconcernsforthecommunity. CSReffortsneedtobemoreplannedandsystematicintermsofsystems,processes,people

andinterventions.

CSR so far has been following a welfare approach which now needs to follow a moresustainableapproach.Itshouldprogressfrombeingmereproviderstobecomingenablers.

IUCNsrole

Based on the above observations, IUCN proposed the following project ideas for comments,

suggestionsand

finally,

buy

in

by

the

ACC

officials:

A)BiodiversityAssessment

1.Assessment of Biodiversity: To catalogue/inventorise all possible biodiversity components, to

convertintoquantitativetermsforfeedingintoaBiodiversityScoreCard,tosuggestinterventionsto

improvebiodiversityvalueandtodevelopmonitoringprotocols.

2.CapacityBuilding:Toenhance thebiodiversity knowledge and technicalknowhow tomonitor

and manage the biodiversity. This would target people within the management and local

communities, andwould developmechanism forjoint activitiesbetween theACC staff and local

communities.

B)Others

3. Looking beyond Conventional Energy: To assess the technocommercial feasibility of locally

availablebiomass(e.g.pineneedles)andotherformsofwastes.

4.PartneringwithLocalCommunities:Tomobilise localcommunitiesandcreatereplicablemodels

ofselfemploymentandruralentrepreneurship.


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5.Managing the Trucks and Truckers: To reduce traffic congestion, reduce pollution levels and

offsettheperceivedthreatofnonavailabilityoftrainedworkforceinthefuture.

AlltheproposalswerereceivedfavourablybytheACCofficialspresentandunanimousagreement

wasreceivedforexpandingthesefurther.Subsequently,theACCtopmanagementrequestedIUCN

to develop the project ideas related to biodiversity assessment and capacity building, into full

proposalsand

submit

the

same

as

this

was

apriority

at

this

stage.

The

other

project

ideas

could

be

consideredsubsequently.

UponconsiderationofACC,aplannedimplementationscheduleoveranextendedperiodwouldbe

workedoutthroughaMoUforadministrativearrangements.

IUCNwouldundertaketheimplementationoftheprojectswiththeassistanceofitsmembersand

partnerswhohaveexpertiseintherespectivefieldsofwork.


15/16

Acknowledgements

The IUCNMissionwould like to acknowledge the support,hospitality and openness ofACC staff

duringthisvisit.Wetrulyappreciatethetimethattheyspentwithus,thevisitsandmeetingsthat

theyfacilitatedandtheiruncomplaining,smilingdemeanourinthefaceofourunendingqueriesand

demands.Inparticular,wewouldliketomention:

MrSanjeevKapur,ChiefManagerEnergy&Environment

MrSandeepSharma,AssistantManagerEnergy&Environment

MrVDThakur,ManagerHorticulture

MrJagjitSingh,DeputyManagerHumanResources&EmployeeWelfare

MrSanjeevSoni,JointManagerMining

MrShivSharma,AssistantManaerAFR

DrPrasadBardoloi

MrDeepakDavid,HeadCSR,NorthIndia

MrPKSrivastava,HeadOperations

WewouldliketothankMrPKNanda,ChiefManagerMines,whovisitedfromMumbaitobewith

usthroughout

the

length

of

the

visit

and

for

sharing

his

insights

with

us.

VeryspecialthankstoMrAtulKhosla,DirectorGagalPlantforsharinghisvisionfortheplant;for

hisamazingcandourwhilearticulatingtheissuesandchallengesthatthecompanyfacesandforhis

extremelygracioushospitality.

ThisvisitwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthesupportofthetopmanagementteamofACCat

Mumbai. Inparticular,wewould like tothankMrSumitBanerjee,ManagingDirectorandMrRavi

Puranik,HeadCSR,fortheirinitiativeofinvitingusonthisScopingMission.

Lastbutnottheleast,wewouldliketoexpressoursinceregratitudetotheofficeandguesthouse

staffatGagal,whomadeusfeelwelcomeandcomfortableduringourvisit.


16/16

Annexure1

ItineraryforScopingMission:

June22,2009: ArrivalatGagal

VisittoWater treatmentandRoot Zonetreatmentplants

Visitto

the

Colony

Club

and

Hospital

VisittoACCPlantandMiningArea

June23,2009: VisittoACCPlant

InteractionwiththeAFRteamandV.D.Thakur

VisittothevillagesandInteractionwithcommunities

June24,2009: Visittotheplantnurseryandvermicompost

InteractionwithSelfHelpGroups(SHGs)

VisittoMinestoseetheblasting

VisittoSchool

VisittothevillagesandInteractionwithcommunities

June25,2009: Meetingwiththetruckers

Internalteammeetingtoconsolidatetheobservationsandlistthecoreprojectideas

June26,2009: MeetingwithGagalWorkersUnion

MeetingwithPlantHead,Mr.AtulKhoslaandhisteam

MeetingwithWomenGroup(ACCAhead)

VisittotheACCworkshop

InteractionwithHouseholdsofmigrantlabour

MeetingDistrictCollector&DistrictForestOfficer

DinnerhostedatAtulKhoslasresidence

June27,

2009:

Wrap

up

meeting

IUCNteamdeparts

iucn trip report to acc gagal

Documents