The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, led by Justices Atul Chandurkar and Vrushali Joshi, has recognized problems in a meeting about the environment. This meeting was organized by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on May 29, 2023, to discuss expanding the Koradi Power Plant.

This situation came about because of a legal action filed by an organization called Vidarbha Connect, represented by Dinesh Naidu, along with Dr. Sharad Pawar and Shri Palamwar. The expansion plan, proposed by MAHAGENCO, wants to add two new power units to the Koradi Power Plant, near Nagpur. They also plan to shut down six older units and build a new one at Koradi. But people are worried about how this might harm the environment and their health.

One big issue raised by the people who filed the case is that the rules for this meeting, set by the government, weren't followed correctly. They say that not enough people knew about the conference, so they couldn't join and speak their opinions. Also, they claim that those who disagreed with the project were stopped from expressing their concerns. Additionally, the old Koradi units are causing a lot of pollution, and steps to control this pollution haven't been taken as promised.

Nagpur already has a big problem with air quality, and adding more power units could worsen it, which would be bad for the people's health. The pollution board has previously warned MAHAGENCO about causing pollution, but the issues haven't been fixed. Problems with radioactive waste and pollution of the Kanhan River have also been mentioned.

The Vidarbha region has a lot of coal power plants, producing much more power than needed. The Bombay High Court has issued notices for a new public meeting and to hold MAHAGENCO responsible for pollution from the Koradi plant.

The case will continue in court. During the hearing, lawyers for the people who filed the case argued that there needs to be a fair and thorough study of how this expansion would affect the environment. Other people who support the case include Anil Palamwar and Dr. Sharad Pawar.

Many government agencies and local authorities are involved in this case, including the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Ministry of Power. Lawyers representing MAHAGENCO and the pollution board are also part of the case.