The Hindu Business Line : Environment Ministry failing in its role, say NGOs

A NATIONAL network of 50 environmental organisations and individuals has charged the Ministry of Environment and Forests with being the weak link in environmental protection, and instead, pandering to "market-based instruments" in recent years.

In an open letter to the Ministry, a copy of which has been sent to the media, the signatories say they are concerned at the way the Ministry has been systematically failing in its duty and weakening its regulatory norms and processes.

As a result, it has often taken faulty decisions to allow commercial, infrastructure or development projects that pose damage to the environment, tribal communities and wildlife.

This is despite alerts by NGOs and citizens, says the letter titled `Why is the Government systematically undermining the environment?'

The new UPA Government, it suggests, has the opportunity to reverse this trend by integrating environmental considerations into decision-making process, even at planning and design stages; it should also implement its Common Minimum Programme from an environmental perspective.

The other suggestions are that the Government should form an independent monitoring and evaluation agency to assess compliance of the spirit of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The Ministry itself should be strengthened with committed technical experts. At the same time, regulatory processes such as the EIA (environmental impact assessment), public hearings for potentially harmful projects, and monitoring and clearances should be strictly followed.

The NGOs' main charge is that the Ministry has played a weak regulatory role, which has encouraged other Ministries, Government agencies and industries to undermine environmental laws and human concerns.

The insensitivity to environmental issues is seen in the actions of the last Government and the present one.

"We urge the Government to draw up a concrete action plan on how to take the steps to significantly improve the manner in which decisions are taken on environmental issues," the letter says.

Its signatories include Mr Ashish Kothari of Kalpavriksh, Mr Ravi Agarwal of Toxics Link; Mr Shekhar Singh of Centre for Equity Studies; Ms Medha Patkar, Mr Harsh Mander, Mr Sunderlal Bahuguna, Mr Bittu Sahgal, Mr Leo Saldanha of the Bangalore-based Environment Support Group and Dr Suman Sahai of Gene Campaign.

"As people's groups, NGOs, and mass movements, we are deeply concerned and anguished at the way governments over the last few years have severely undermined the importance of environmental issues in decision-making.

In particular, the role of the Ministry seems increasingly to be that of simply a clearing agency for unsustainable and destructive economic and commercial activities," the letter says. "Is the mandate of the Ministry to help industries and `developers' bypass or get over environmental regulations, rather than safeguard the country's environment?"

The statement lists the following examples of the Ministry's inefficiency:

The notification of the Biological Diversity Rules 2004 is "scientifically unsound";

The scope of the EPA has been weakened by about 30 dilutions such as exemption from EIA for widening highways and allowing mining leases for major minerals for a number of holdings under 25 hectares;

Allowing SEZs in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone notification;

An MoEF press release of June this year spoke of "good practices" to be adopted to facilitate `expeditious decision-making' so that no application (for clearance) will be rejected on procedural grounds alone.

Many projects have been cleared without an adequate EIA or environmental safeguards: Lower Subansiri hydro power project in Arunachal Pradesh; Allain Duhangan hydro-electric project in Himachal; Teesta Low Dam in West Bengal; Bodh Ghat project and Raoghat Bauxite project, both in Chhattisgarh.

A Rs 160-crore World Bank-aided capacity building programme for environmental management has not been adequately implemented.

A National Environment Policy has been framed without public participation and is delaying the approval of four-year-old National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

"Collusion with the building lobby" for malls and hotels in Delhi, which endangers the Delhi ridge and pushes the low water table further.

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