Dubious Decision
In a move that goes against the grain of its raison d'etre, the Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) has decided to let several polluting industries commence operations without any environmental impact assessment (EIA).
In June this year, the MEF sneaked in a notification to this effect amending the original EIA notification, 1994, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The ministry did not even invite objections to the proposed amendment through a public notice. It reasoned that the decision was taken in the public interest.
The amendment in question exempts many categories of new industries from the purview of EIA if their investment is kept below Rs 100 crore. Some of the industries that stand to benefit include synthetic rubber, chlor alkali, storage batteries integrated with manufacture of oxides of lead and lead antimony alloys, as well as pulp, paper and newsprint.
"This is really scary. Such a blanket clearance is hardly in the public interest,' avers Ravi Agarwal, head of Srishti, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Delhi. "Most of these industries cause severe heavy metal pollution,' points out Chandra Bhushan, coordinator, Green Rating Project of New Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science and Environment. "Small pulp and paper factories are highly polluting simply because they cannot invest in pollution control. Pollution load should be the criteria to decide whether an EIA is needed and not investment in the project,' avers Bhushan.
Another loophole pertains to the industries being granted exemption from EIA regulations if they undertake an expansion or modernisation project costing less than Rs 50 crore. "Now these industries can continue to grow without any environmental obligations merely by not exceeding the limit of Rs 50 crore,' says Sunita Dubey, of Environmental Justice Initiative (EJI), a New Delhi-based NGO.
And as a sop to the oil industry, EIAs have been done away with for laying pipelines. Earlier the EIA report was presented at public hearings and formed the basis of protests, if any. "Though the order says that public hearings will still be held in each district through which the pipeline passes, it fails to explain how a they can be conducted if an EIA report is not available,' says Dubey.
"This EIA amendment is final and there will be no immediate changes,' says N H Hosabettu, director, MEF. "However, under the ongoing World Bank project to review the EIA procedures, NGOs and other parties can send their recommendations and we will consider them before finalising the report,' he adds. The final report for this project is expected in March 2003.
Kushal P S Yadav, New Delhi
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