Environment clearance a source of corruption: PM

Environment clearance a source of corruption: PM
The Economic Times, August 19, 2009, Page 7

Asks States To Develop Action Plan On Climate Change; Seeks Broader Consultation

Our Bureaus NEW DELHI

PRIME Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a transparent, fair and hassle-free environment clearance process for any project. Addressing a conference of state ministers of environment and forests in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr Singh said environment clearances have become “a new form of licence raj and a source of corruption”. “This is a matter that needs to be addressed head-on. There are trade-offs that have to be made while balancing developmental and environmental concerns. But the procedures must be fair, transparent and hassle-free. Decisions must be taken within a specified time,” he said.

Mr Singh said the environment impact assessment (EIA) of projects by the government is a major attempt to rationalise the system of giving mandatory environmental clearance. “I would urge all the states that have not yet established state EIA authorities to do so at the very earliest,” he added.

The Prime Minister also reiterated the Indian position in the climate change negotiations that developing countries need access to technologies available with developed countries outside of a stringent IP regime. Even so, Mr Singh stressed on the need for domestic investment in new environment-friendly technologies. “We need to strengthen the scientific foundations of our environment policies and strengthen our capacity to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.”

Mr Singh also stressed on the need for domestic measures to deal with climate change and asked states to develop their own action plan, in consistence with the National Action Plan, on climate change. The state plans would aim to enable communities and ecosystems to adapt to climate change effectively.

“I would urge each state government to create their own state level action plans consistent with the strategies in the national plans. We need much broader consultation with the states on this issue,” Mr Singh said.

Mr Singh held the developed countries responsible for the climate change crisis and the current state of environmental degradation. He described climate change as a “major global challenge”, and stressed that India recognises the seriousness of the issue, and that India was aware of its “obligation” to address the crisis. To the global perception that India’s opposition to legally enforceable emission caps is an expression of its unwillingness to take note of the climate change crisis, he said: ”There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that we fully recognise not just how important this issue is to our country’s future but also our own obligation to address it.”

Even so, Mr Singh made it clear that countries like India “face the unfair burden of past mistakes not of our making”. However, Mr Singh stressed that as India pursues its development goals, it should seize the “opportunity not to repeat those past mistakes”.

He said India was “conscious” of its “responsibilities” and sought to enhance the ecological sustainability of India’s development path. “As the country moves forward, the growth strategy can be and should be innovative and different. We are still at early stages of industrialisation and urbanisation. Our energy needs will increase sharply in the decades to come. We can and we must walk a different road, an environment friendly road,” he added.