Hindustantimes wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

Public outcry over contentious environment ministry regulation

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByJayashree Nandi
Jun 25, 2020 06:02 PM IST

The draft, which is expected to overhaul the process of environmental regulation of infrastructure projects, is in the eye of a storm because it has contentious clauses on regularising projects that violate environmental norms and shortening the time frame for public hearings.

The environment ministry has received thousands of requests for extending the time frame for submitting public comments or objections to the draft Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2020, which is set to expire in five days on June 30.

The draft, which is expected to overhaul the process of environmental regulation of infrastructure projects, is in the eye of a storm because it has contentious clauses on regularising projects that violate environmental norms and shortening the time frame for public hearings.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The environment ministry has received thousands of requests from civil society organisations, legal researchers and students in the past month for further extending the period for comments and addressing concerns regarding the draft.

“We have informed the environment minister’s office about these representations. A decision hasn’t been taken on extending the time for comments. As of now, it stands at June 30,” said Sharath Kumar Pallerla, director (policy wing) in the environment ministry.

The draft notification was first released for comments on March 23 and people were provided a 60-day window to send comments or objections. But owing to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown and stiff resistance from environmental groups, the environment ministry had extended the time frame for comments from May 22 to June 30.

“The draft has been in the public domain for nearly 100 days now. In fact, we issued a zero draft to get people’s comments in April 2019, following which we held public consultations in several cities on the draft. Recently, we had consultations with industrial associations and accredited environmental consultants. But still we are receiving representations to extend time on this notification,” Pallerla said.

After June 30, the thousands of comments received on the draft will be submitted to an expert committee, which will vet the comments and incorporate them in the draft if the members think it’s necessary or the draft will be notified as is.

An RTI enquiry filed by an activist, a copy of which HT has seen, said the environment ministry was flooded with representations on the draft. Till April 20, the ministry had received 1,190 emails, of which 46 emails included suggestions and 1,144 emails had requests for extending the time frame for submitting comments. A joint secretary in the ministry had said she received more than 4,000 representations.

“Since the EIA notification and any change thereto is of great significance to the management of environment in the country as a whole and to the matters of access and utilisation of natural resources…it is suggested that we may extend the time frame to a total of 180 days from the time of issue on March 23,” she wrote in a note to the environment minister.

The note was, however, signed off with June 30 as the date till which the period for comments will be extended. Pallerla confirmed the ministry had received a lot of requests, following which it decided to extend the time for public responses.

More than 50 university student unions, college environment clubs and youth groups from different parts of the country wrote to the environment ministry on Thursday, demanding the draft be put on hold and rewritten according to recommendations by environmental experts.

“As we emerge from Covid-19, we need to make a choice about what kind of India we wish to live in. Our youth have decided to grow up on a land which has thriving forests and clean rivers, a balanced economy that places importance on sustainability and communities, and a system of policymaking that promotes dialogue with the citizens of India,” the statement by student unions said.

The students’ campaign against the current draft EIA 2020 is led by Ashoka University along with members of All India Students Association, Youth4Swaraj, JNUSU, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Jain University and Jindal Global Law School.

The students wrote they had observed the effects of a weak environmental policy in recent months, as in the case of Mumbai’s Aarey forest, which was cleared to build a metro shed despite massive protests, Vizag’s LG Polymers gas leak on May 7 and Assam’s Baghjan gas blowout, which has allegedly destroyed a wetland and threatened biodiversity in Dibru Saikhowa National Park.

“The environment ministry has 725 days, almost two years to issue the final notification based on the number and nature of comments received. Many of them are demanding strengthening environmental regulation in the light of the threefold crisis of health, climate and economy. This period between the draft and final notification should not be used to introduce the proposed changes into the existing 2006 notification, as has been done in the past with other laws such as the coastal regulation zone,” said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at the Centre for Policy Research.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
OPEN APP