Project proposals in and around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks will not be considered for wildlife clearance unless states submit certificates of compliance to the conditions prescribed by the standing committee of the national board for wildlife (NBWL) for previously permitted projects, the committee has decided.
The minutes of the standing committee of NBWL’s 77th meeting released on February 7 revealed that there is hardly any compliance of the precautionary conditions prescribed by NBWL for infrastructure and development projects that have been allowed to come up in national parks and sanctuaries.
“The Standing Committee decided that the compliance of conditions of the project proposals recommended or approved by the Standing Committee in the last two years shall be monitored by the Regional Offices of the Ministry. The Chief WildLife Wardens shall give the compliance certificates within one month and thereafter within one month the Regional Offices of the Ministry shall submit the compliance reports to the Ministry... the Standing Committee decided that the Ministry shall inform all the States that the project proposals shall not be considered unless certificate of compliance of conditions in case of previously recommended/approved project proposals have been received,” the minutes said.
In the last five years, 718 project proposals in wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas have been granted wildlife clearance by NBWL. However, the certificates of compliance are not being sent by the state chief wildlife wardens, the minutes said.
{{/usCountry}}In the last five years, 718 project proposals in wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas have been granted wildlife clearance by NBWL. However, the certificates of compliance are not being sent by the state chief wildlife wardens, the minutes said.
{{/usCountry}}In the 59th NBWL meeting held on October 5, 2020, the standing committee recommended a protocol for effective monitoring of projects. It decided that the chief wildlife warden shall submit an annual certificate for compliance of the conditions imposed by the standing committee for all proposals and that the integrated regional offices shall carry out monitoring of the conditions imposed by the standing committee.
HS Singh, NBWL member and a retired Gujarat forest officer, said the situation pertaining to compliance of conditions imposed while recommending or approving project proposals on the ground is quite serious. Several non-compliance issues were observed in previous projects, he said. One of the conditions that was not complied with was deposition of funds with the chief wildlife warden for restoration.
In one proposal, the state government gave an undertaking for providing funds for dolphin conservation; however, the work related to the project proposal started without deposition of funds by the project proponent. “Several such proposals are being submitted by the states without ensuring compliance of conditions in previous cases,” Singh said.
The minutes said that a monitoring mechanism is being developed on the PARIVESH portal for the monitoring of compliance of conditions imposed by the standing committee.
“Globally environment regulatory frameworks have come to rely on conditional approvals to legitimise the consequences of natural resource extraction and contain its impacts. However the follow through of compliance with these conditions or creation of strong monitoring frameworks is essential. The lack of which has resulted in creation of projects that have been operationalised without assessing the viability of the conditions or ensuring deterrence against non compliance. This exacerbates environmental, humanitarian and investment risks,” said Kanchi Kohli, independent legal and policy researcher.