Dear Friends/Co-sailors,
India's development has reached a defining moment. The govt., with the intention of making India
investment friendly, has put the environment virtually at a Clearance
Sale. The latest in the series are as
follows.
Thanks and regards,
Ranjan
===================
1. Now green clearance even without acquiring necessary land
for projects. This has been happening illegally already. Now, the companies get
legal route to destroy our environment even without fulfilling the basic
criteria for investments...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Mumbai/Full-land-acquisition-not-a-must-for-green-sanction/articleshow/44943447.cms
‘Full land acquisition not a must for green sanction’
Clara Lewis & Vijay Pinjarkar,TNN | Oct 27, 2014, 02.19
AM IST
NAGPUR/MUMBAI: Full land acquisition will no longer be a
pre-requisite for a project seeking environment clearance (EC). The Union
ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has said credible documents will be
considered adequate by the environment appraisal committees (EAC) and state
environment appraisal committees (SEAC) while scrutinizing proposals.
The MoEF also made seeking environment clearance for
development projects within 10km from national parks and wildlife sanctuaries
easier. The proposals will now be directly dealt by the National Board for
Wildlife standing committee, led by Union environment minister, instead of the
state wildlife boards. The ruling is in line with the Modi government giving a
leg-up to infrastructural projects and reducing "unnecessary rules"
that hindered "general growth". It is likely to expedite works
relating to mining, road widening, irrigation, industries, power plants and
installation of transmission lines.
In an office memorandum issued early this month, the MoEF
has said that in case the land for a project is proposed to be acquired through
government intervention, then a copy of preliminary notification issued by the
state government concerned for land acquisition as per the Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, can be submitted. In case the land
is being acquired through private negotiations with land owners, then credible
document showing intent of the land-owners to sell it for the proposed project
is to be submitted.
The office memorandum has been issued as there were no
guidelines on the criteria to be followed with regard to the extent of land
needed to be acquired to obtain an EC for a project. All EACs/SEACs had been applying
different criteria. The MoEF has warned that the EC will be invalid in case the
actual land for the project turns out to be different from the one considered
at the time of appraisal and mentioned in the EC. The Confederation of Indian
Industry welcomed the move and said it will help fast-track the clearance
process.
If land for a project is being acquired through govt
intervention, then a copy of preliminary notification issued by the state can
be submitted. If it is being acquired through private negotiations, then a
document showing intent of the land-owners to sell it for the project is to be
submitted.
1. India's fast paced mission to clear remaining good
forests and wildlife continues in full swing. Now, wings of state wildlife
boards clipped...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/MoEF-clips-wings-of-state-wildlife-boards/articleshow/44943059.cms
MoEF clips wings of state wildlife boards
Vijay Pinjarkar,TNN | Oct 27, 2014, 03.40 AM IST
NAGPUR : The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has
made seeking environment clearance for development projects within 10km from
national parks and wildlife sanctuaries easier by approaching the National
Board for Wildlife directly instead of the state wildlife boards. The proposals
will now be directly dealt by the NBWL standing committee headed by union
environment minister.
MoEF has clarified that the need of NBWL standing
committee's recommendation for projects outside the limits of national parks
and sanctuaries is not governed by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
"Any proposal for environment clearance outside parks need not be taken up
for processing at the state level. Wherever applicable, such a proposal will be
referred to the ministry itself and then NBWL," said ML Srivastava, deputy
inspector general of forests.
As reported by TOI on September 15, the NBWL now comprises
retired forest officials who, wildlife experts claimed, "can easily be
manipulated to toe the government line". Many experts who have spent
decades in wildlife conservation seem to have been deliberately kept out. There
is no representation from Central India which has 13 tiger reserves and over 30
wildlife sanctuaries.
The new ruling is in line with the Modi government giving a
leg-up to infrastructural projects and reducing "unnecessary rules"
which hindered "general growth". The implications, however, will be
huge and environmental losses can only be gauged once the process is set into
motion. The rule is likely to expedite works relating to mining, road widening,
irrigation, industries, power plants, installation of transmission lines etc.
Vidarbha will feel the benefit and loss of this move
straightaway. The controversial four-laning of 37-km NH7 by National Highway
Authority Limited (NHAI) between Mansar and Khawasa will now be out of the
purview of state board for wildlife (SBWL). The road widening has already been
granted environment clearance way back in 2006. Now many project proponents
will bypass SBWL.
The road widening cuts Mansinghdeo wildlife sanctuary and
also Central India's biggest tiger corridor between Pench-Nagzira-Kanha-Tadoba.
Maharashtra's chief wildlife warden Sarjan Bhagat has already forwarded the
proposal to SBWL in August with a condition to follow Wildlife Institute of
India recommendations.
MoEF issued a memorandum on October 26, asking states to
advise the projects proponents accordingly. The ministry stated that it had
issued a circular on February 27, 2007 based on a December 4, 2006 Supreme
Court order on a PIL (460/2004).
The last line of the circular stated that projects will be
granted EC subject to proponents obtaining clearance under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act 1972. However, MoEF says "the phrase obtaining clearance
under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, may be read as prior clearance from
the standing committee of NBWL". "It implies that till now the
circular was being misinterpreted by the state forest departments. It is a good
move as SBWL meets once a year or even more. This delays the projects,"
said one of the proponents.
With the fresh MoEF directive, NHAI officials feel
four-laning of stalled NH7 will be expedited as matters will be solved in
Delhi. However, Bhagat said it is true that NH7 road widening proposal will not
be placed before SBWL now, but said, "If NBWL has cleared road widening on
MP side considering WII recommendations, it will have to follow the same
principle on Maharashtra side. Law of land should prevail."
On MP side, NHAI has scaled down its demand for forest land
from 71 hectares to 36 hectares. If MP chief Narendra Kumar is to be believed,
NBWL has already cleared road expansion subject to WII recommendation which
calls for elevated structures in vulnerable forest patches.
EXPEDITING PROJECTS
With a view to facilitating early decision-making by the
standing committee of NBWL in respect of development projects requiring
wildlife clearance and located within 10km of national parks & sanctuaries
following procedure has been decided.
* While prescribing terms of references (TORs) for projects
requiring wildlife clearance, henceforth, additional TORs shall be mandatorily
incorporated.
* Copies of such TORs issued to projects will be endorsed to
wildlife division in the ministry.
* After examining the proposal for EC, the expert appraisal
committee will make appropriate recommendations and if need felt may invite
chief wildlife wardens of states concerned to give views on the proposals.
* The wildlife division in MoEF will record NBWL
recommendations and return to the impact assessment division for further
processing and approval of EC to the project.
No comments:
Post a Comment