The National Green Tribunal's Western Zone Bench, Pune, has dismissed all three appeals challenging the environmental and forest clearances for GHCL Ltd's greenfield soda ash project in Gujarat. According to the company's disclosure, the order was pronounced in open court on August 21, 2026, with the detailed judgment yet to be uploaded on the NGT website. The appeals had challenged the environmental clearance and forest clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the State of Gujarat for the project at village Bada, Taluka Mandvi, Kutch, Gujarat.
GHCL Ltd reported a 32% rise in first-quarter profit to ₹191.18 crore, helped by lower expenses, even as total income fell. The chemical maker had posted a net profit of ₹144.78 crore a year earlier. Total income fell 3.06% to ₹798.01 crore from ₹823.19 crore a year earlier, while total expenses declined to ₹594.10 crore from ₹627.96 crore. As reported by CNBC TV18, Managing Director R S Jalan stated that the performance demonstrates sustained resilience against a volatile global geopolitical backdrop.
The company's Bromine and Vacuum Salt projects are in advanced stages of commissioning and are expected to begin commercial operations in the second quarter of FY27, according to Jalan's statement. However, the greenfield soda ash project is progressing slowly. Jalan noted that long-term fundamentals for the soda ash industry remained positive, citing domestic demand from the detergent and glass sectors as well as emerging demand from the renewable energy industry. The company operates a soda ash plant at Sutrapada in Gujarat with an installed capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum.
On Friday (August 21), shares of GHCL Ltd ended at ₹442.35, down by ₹0.65, or 0.15%, on the BSE, as reported by CNBC TV18. According to the company's disclosure, there were no violations or contraventions alleged against GHCL in the matter. The global soda ash market continues to face volatility and shipping disruptions, with stable underlying demand offset by surplus supply, Jalan noted.
