NEW DELHI : CPI(M) called for revocation of the new draft Environment Impact Assessment(EIA) 2020, that is largely designed to help corporates at the cost of environment protection and communities set to bear the brunt.
The EIA draft 2020 seeks to remove existing curbs and weaken environmental regulation. It does that by sidelining the balance between sustainable development and environment protection. The proposition is unacceptable, said Politburo member Brinda Karat in her letter to Union Minister For Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar.
While similar attempt in the past was thwarted by Green Tribunal and Courts, the present draft is being formulated overriding court orders. Restrictions that protect against environmental harm are being lifted in the name of ‘expediting business processes.” Intriguingly, there is no mention of Adivasis who will be devastated in that process. According to the notification, the pro-draft lobby will appoint consultancies for environment clearances. The proposition is debilitating.
Provisions toward EIA were released in 2006, A follow-up on this came in 2010 when Centre released a manual stating guidelines for mining, infrastructural and construction projects, etc. The current draft will remove those regulations on scores of projects in mining and other sectors, the consequences of which would be dire, given that the Centre has lend its nod to private mining.
Also, the draft has moved several polluting projects to B2 category so as to exempt them from mandatory approval of expert committee for environment clearance. The move is an illegal. The new draft is unacceptable and license for serious environmental violations; it is should be withdrawn on immediate basis, demanded CPI(M).
