Environmental clearance - Balance Development And Eco-Concerns

Environmental clearance - Balance Development And Eco-Concerns
The Economic Times, August 24, 2009, Page 10

PRIME minister Manmohan Singh’s call to ease the problems with environmental clearance provides entrepreneurs the hope that the Centre would soon take measures to address their concerns. Several projects involving thousands of crores of investment are stuck for want of clearances from environment ministry or other concerned departments. These include mega power projects, airports, mining projects, national highways, townships and lowcost housing. All of which contribute to improving the infrastructure necessary to raise economic growth and provide people a better quality of life. The PM has rightly alluded to environmental clearances becoming a new source of licence raj and corruption. As the PM stressed, there is need to remove these hurdles with a sense of urgency, while balancing development and environmental concerns. An attempt to ease some of the conditions for environmental clearances stipulated in September 2006 notification of the ministry of environment and forests is already in public domain for discussion. Many of these suggestions have drawn sharp reaction from the green lobby, some which are in order as the cost of development, disregarding concerns of the local people and the ecology, can prove to be heavy later.

Yet, maintaining the status quo on procedures for environmental clearances will not do the country any good. No one disputes that every project, particularly those that are intrusive in nature or produces significant amount of pollutants or effluents, needs to be assessed for its impact on the ecological balance. That is why we need to have an efficient environment impact assessment (EIA) processes in place, with clearance being granted within the stipulated time period. Sadly, many states are yet to establish state EIA authorities that would take on this responsibility. There is also the need to establish an effective coordination mechanism between the Centre and states to pave way for a credible and efficient system of assessment and clearance as environment falls in the Concurrent List, and states exercise control over many natural resources. In any case, policies should be geared towards pulling people out of poverty without compromising the country’s environmental security.