Kohima, August 19 (MExN): Nagaland Pradesh Youth Congress (NPYC) today demanded that the draft notification for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 “which is to supersede the EIA Notification 2006 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 should be withdrawn unconditionally.”
In a representation addressed to Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, a copy which made available to section of media, NPYC president Vilhousielie Kenguruse and general secretary Serangmong Sangtam stated “this notification deserves extensive discussions and the epidemic situation is not the time for that. It is quite obvious that the proposed changes are not guided by environmental concerns but by the concerns of corporate sector.”
It stated that the policies implemented by various governments in favour of neo colonial powers and corporates have made the life of people grievous.
“Soil, drinking water, seas and forests are deeply encroached. The new draft for EIA 2020, is hell bound to intensify the crisis. There is a provision for public consultation in the existing rules, including a public hearing at which the local community and interested persons can give opinions and raise objections, based on the draft EIA report prepared by experts for any project. The major change proposed from the existing regulations is the removal of several activities from the purview of public consultation. A list of projects has been included under Category B2, expressly exempted from the requirement of an EIA (Clause 13, sub cl. 11). Also, coal and non-coal mineral prospecting and solar photo voltaic projects do not need prior environmental clearance or permission in the new scheme. It is worth noting that when India is improving its position in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Index to rank 63 out of 190 countries in 2020, an improvement of 14 ranks compared to last year, as far as the Yale University’s Global Environment Performance Index is concerned India is ranked an extremely low 168 out of 180 countries,” the representation stated.
This clearly shows that the priority of the government is to help business by diluting of environmental regulations and with serious consequences for the environment, and the lives and livelihoods of those dependent on natural resources, it stated.
The rules in India, including EIA 2006, privileged the interests of the project proponent by whittling down public consultations, accepting flawed and faulty EIA reports resulting from external influences, and ignoring the non-renewable nature of resources, it stated adding that notification 2020 deepens the impact of that paradigm.
of ensuring tighter regulations and strict monitoring and implementation, the new draft has weakened the whole process, it stated.
It stated that the EIA 2020 avoid various rulings made by the National Green Tribunal and Courts, including the Supreme Court concerning environmental protection.
The proposed changes are not guided by environmental concerns but by the concerns of corporate, the representation alleged adding that “Most objectionable is the fact that in the entire document the concerns of adivasis who are going to be the most affected community due to the dilution of environment regulations do not form any part of the notification. The words Adivasi, tribal, Gram sabha, Forest Rights Act, Fifth Schedule, Sixth Schedule, PESA find no mention.”
According to the changes proposed, the Expert Appraisal Committee at the central and state level and also to the important Technical Committee, the Ministry has the sole right for appointment and even in the case of State Level EIAACs, the Union Ministry retains the right to constitution of these Committees and thereby to intervene at the State level. These committees form the architecture of the environmental oversight required. The appointment of members of such committees cannot be the sole prerogative of the Ministry. A more impartial method of selection of members of various committees is required with inclusion of women, of members of scheduled caste and tribe who have the requisite qualification, the representation stated.
In addition to the above general concerns are also there (1) Re-categorization of projects so as to exempt a wide range of projects from the scrutiny of Appraisal Committees and also from public consultation; (2) Dilution and in some cases elimination of the process of public consultation; (3) Post-facto legalization of violations by projects; (4) a number of exemptions/ benefits given to projects through various clauses.
Stating that the draft notification is according to the pro-corporate agenda of the Central Government in the name of development, it stated” Peoples interests or concerns of protection of the environment are not the concern of Draft EIA 2020. In fact it gives license for wrong-doing and blatant violations.”
Demanding that the draft notification should be withdrawn, NPYC suggested “It may be redrafted taking the opinion of all stakeholders. This would be in the interests of the environment, the people and the country.”
