The renewable energy sector, while promising an environment friendly production of clean electricity, has posed a threat to the environment in certain situations. Recently, a public interest litigation before the Supreme Court, brought forward one such environmental hazard posed by the sector. The overhead transmission lines installed around solar and wind power projects (“Projects”) are posing an extinction risk to endangered birds (such as (i) the Great Indian Bustard (GIB); and (ii) the Lesser Florican).Continue Reading Flight and Fall Transmitting Power: Judicial Initiative to Retain Ecological Balance in Society
Tanusree Banerjee
Associate in the Projects & Project Finance practice at the Mumbai office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Tanusree has completed her LL.M from King’s College London in 2019. Her experience includes project financing, debt capital markets and debt financing transactions. She can be reached at tanusree.banerjee@cyrilshroff.com.
Covid-19: Bumpy roads ahead for Highway Sector
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the society in an unanticipated and unprecedented way. To contain its spread, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India vide its order dated March 24, 2020 directed closure of commercial and private establishments for a period of twenty one days. Immediately thereafter, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) issued an order dated March 25, 2020 directing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take action as per the said MHA order (including suspension of tolling operations on the toll plazas) and added that prevailing condition may be treated as ‘force majeure’ under the concession agreements executed by NHAI with the developers.
MoRTH thereafter directed NHAI to resume toll collections from April 20, 2020. However, the suspension of toll operations until April 20, 2020, the lockdown period thereafter and the steep fall of the traffic plying on the national highways, has significantly impacted the entire transportation industry, exposing developers to high risk and financial distress with no visibility of normalcy in the near future.Continue Reading Covid-19: Bumpy roads ahead for Highway Sector