PMO steps in for faster green approval

Eager to pull the government out of perceived ‘policy paralysis’, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has stepped in and pushed environment ministry to fast track project clearance. But, the NGOs are also bracing for a fight with the government to protect environment and degradation of natural resources. Chetan Chauhan reports.

Updated on: Feb 22, 2012, 18:18:52 IST

Hindustan Times | By Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi

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Eager to pull the government out of perceived ‘policy paralysis’, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has stepped in and pushed environment ministry to fast track project clearance. But, the NGOs are also bracing for a fight with the government to protect environment and degradation of natural resources.

The ministry was accused of delaying decision on vital projects and blocking vital infrastructure growth across India. The corporate world echoes the view along with infrastructure ministries such as power, road and coal.

In a swift change from its earlier position, the ministry has agreed to further relax green norms to allow diversion of forestland for project clearance. An additional 25 % of forests, earlier categorised as no go, would be available for diversion for setting up the projects.

A huge relief for industry, government sources say, as around 30-50 new projects would be taken up for consideration. The move will also provide access to some of India’s best sites for natural resources deep inside forests in tribal areas. “We are working on the finer print,” an official said.

That’s not all. The ministry has also agreed that environment clearance for projects will come in 60 days and forest clearance in 180 days after all documents are submitted.

Environment clearance is necessary for all projects above a certain threshold limit. In case the project is coming up in a forest area, forest clearance is also required.

Coal and Power ministries had complained to PMO that the environment ministry takes up to six years to clear the projects, thereby leading to shortage in coal supply and power generation --- two vital components to fillip the economy. “The projects listed on priority would be cleared within the deadline,” an official said.

The agreement came at the two meeting called by principal secretary of Prime Minister Pulak Chatterjee on biz projects in the last fortnight since a group of chief executive officer (CEOs) led by Ratan Tata met the PM and other Central government ministers.

The environment ministry has also listed priority projects for consideration of its Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), mandated to examine each project with respect to its environmental impact. The EAC approves the project with a list of conditions to be met by project proponent.

While the officials of Coal and Power ministry are happy with swift forward movement, the non-government organizations (NGOs) are worried at its adverse impact on forests and environment.

Over 100 NGOs from across the country will be meeting in Delhi this weekend to discuss ways to protect India’s dwindling forest cover and degrading natural resources. A recent analysis of clearances given by environment ministry by Centre for Science and Environment showed that the country saw more clearances than those planned for even during the 11th and 12th five year plans.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is the National Affairs Editor looking into all aspects of news and features from across India. A Chevening scholar with over three decades of experience in reporting and news management, Chetan has extensively covered all important aspects of the social sector, political economy, environment and climate change nationally and internationally. He did a journalism course at the Reuters Institute of Journalism in Oxford and Digital Media training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He started as a reporter with The Statesman in 1996 and joined the Hindustan Times in 2000 in the metro bureau covering environment, crime and Delhi politics. He covered hot local news, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the rebellion of Delhi Congress MLAs against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to the replacement of toxic vehicle fuel with cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) in the national capital. Some of his stories on air pollution became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark MC Mehta versus Government of India case in the National Capital Region (NCR), forcing the government to take corrective measures. As part of the national political bureau since 2004, he covered important central sectors such as environment, education, social justice, labour, rural development, water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, broadcasting and the Planning Commission for more than a decade producing several exclusive and investigative breaking stories. His specialisation is the environment, having covered at least a dozen United Nations global conferences on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife including climate summits in Paris, Copenhagen and Bali. He also covered India’s two five-year plans ---11th and 12th and reported on drafting and execution of right based laws such as Right to Education, Right to Information and rural job guarantee law, MG-NREGA, now being introduced in new format as VG-RAM-G Act. He has in-depth knowledge of social sector issues. He was one of the first to report on tigers vanishing from Sariska and Panna wildlife reserves in 2004 and 2008, respectively, leading to the setting up of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the introduction of stringent penal provisions for poaching. He has written extensively on the rising human-animal conflict in India and the degradation of India’s biodiversity hotspots because of mining and other activities. Since 2004, Chetan has covered Parliament comprehensively and participated in training on the nuanced coverage of Parliament proceedings. He has travelled extensively across India to cover national and provincial elections since 1998, especially in the Hindi heartland states, considered India’s road to power. He writes a regular column for Hindustan Times, Ecostani, on important national politics, economy, Himalayan ecology and environmental issues. His other responsibilities include providing inputs for edits and edit page articles for the publication, apart from managing news flow from across India.Read More

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