National Environmental Action Plan handed over to Baalu

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Receiving the National Environmental Action Plan here today, Union Minister for Environment and Forests T R Baalu stressed on greater cooperation and active involvement of Central and state governments and panchayati raj institutions in addressing environment issues and abatement of pollution.

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Receiving the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP)here today, Union Minister for Environment and Forests TR Baalu stressed on greater cooperation and active involvement of Central and state governments and panchayati raj institutions in addressing environment issues and abatement of pollution.

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The plan released today was prepared by an expert committee set up by Environment Ministry under the chairmanship of TKA Nair, former secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests with members from Central Pollution Control Baord (CPCB) and Ministry of Water Resources and a few other independent members.

The NEAP proposed preventive and end-of-pipe environmental management measures for achieving improvement in air, water and soil quality and related financial performance with physical achievement by providing necessary administrative mechanism.

It envisaged wide-ranging involvement and support of Central and state governments, local bodies, industry, academia and public while attaching greater importance to the role of NGOs at the ground level, an official release said.

It suggested implementation of the globally accepted 'Polluter Pays Principle' and 'Precautionary Principle'.

"Recommendations made by the committee would be examined on priority basis so that their implementation could be expedited," Baalu said emphasising on the larger role that municipal bodies and panchyati raj institutions would have to play in environmental issues in future.