Many State Governments hope that untying the environmental regulatory knot will unleash a new burst of economic growth. But the authorities have to realise that a regulated growth is also responsible growth
Relaxation of norms pertaining to environment seems to be the trend, if some of the recent developments are anything to go by. The easing of excise duties for the automobile sector announced in the recent Budget is an example that has the potential to increase the emission levels and fuel consumption. Close on the heels of this, the National Capital Region Planning Board gave its nod to the State Government to allow more construction activities in notified ‘green zones’ such as the Aravallis. The NCRPB has empowered the State Governments that are armed with a tourism policy to commercially develop these green zones. Needless to say, this would eventually give a free hand to the real estate giants to harvest green zones in the guise of tourism projects.
Similarly, the Kerala Government’s recent initiative to provide short-term permits for existing quarries for extraction of minerals from private holdings of less than five hectares, without mandatory environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, is yet another instance of relaxations going overboard.
According to the estimates, Kerala has approximately 1,700 illegal quarries operating in the sensitive hill areas of the State, and the relaxation in the norms may result in a spike of the same, thereby, adversely impacting sensitive ecological zone of the Western Ghats. Given a booming construction industry that is facing a raw material shortage, the State Government’s initiative seems spot on, but the serious implications for the fragile environment seem to be have been given a miss.
In December 2013, the Environment Ministry added momentum to the ‘relaxation’ trend by easing clearance norms for select industries such as brick kilns and river sand mining companies. These relaxations impacted environmental accountability as they specifically aimed at downsizing the number of industries that came under the ambit of the Environmental Impact Assessment reports and public hearings.
The ministry’s exemption for the EIA and public hearings was based on the condition of approval of a project by State Governments. But in certain cases, the Ministry went back on its own diktat. For instance, brick kiln operators digging for earth up to 25 hectares were exempted from EIA reports and public hearings, whereas, according to the earlier notification, only those kilns digging up to five hectares were exempt from these requirements.
Priority towards infrastructure development is scoring over environment. In November 2013, The Union Government, keen to boost power output in an electricity-starved country, is prepared to bypass environmental hurdles in order to clear ultra mega power projects. The Cabinet Committee on Investment, set up to fast-track projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore, has spearheaded this effort.
The Union Ministry of Power pitched in by approaching the CCI to exempt the power plants from the provision of the Forests (Conservation) Act, 1980, that required companies to identify land for compensatory reforestation and sought to pass on the responsibility of identifying the said land to the respective State Government.
In addition to power, road construction too has now been allowed the exemption for environmental clearance. This is applicable to highway widening projects for up to 100km in length. Earlier, it was limited to 30km. Over 70 per cent of projects under Government funding model won’t need to gain environmental approval. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed to the Environment Ministry to have ‘no green’ nod for roads up to 200km and expansion of existing stretch by another 60 metres.
The Union Government needs to ensure that the industries do not become dependent on environmental subsidies, wherein the ability to pollute or use common resources without charge translates to better business growth. When stringent environmental policies are implemented the business performance is adversely affected. To overcome this, the Government needs to ensure strong environmental policies and avoid doing policy flip-flops. This sends a firm message to the industries that environmental laws and policies are not negotiable.
Relaxation of environmental norms in order to speed up development is a disturbing initiative that should at best be a one off and not be a practice. The norms are a product of intense debate and deliberation by experts and well-wishers of the environment and, therefore, cannot be brushed aside in the name economic progress. Many State Governments hope that untying the environmental regulatory knot will unleash a new burst of economic growth. But the authorities must realise that a regulated growth is responsible growth. Therefore, the previous environmental regulations need to be strengthened and built upon instead of being set aside or dismantled.