Tribunal chief bats for single-window system for clearances
Obey the law and carry out activities. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has not banned mining; it is the Supreme Court and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests wshich have done it. But the NGT is against any kind of illegal mining, said NGT Chairperson Justice Swatantar Kumar here on Saturday.
Delivering the keynote address at a seminar “Impact of Environmental laws and the National Green Tribunal on the Industries in Odisha” organised by the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) and the Bait logitech in association with the Suri and Company, Justice Kumar quoted Mahatma Gandhi to say that environment provides for every man’s need but not for greed.
Industry does not understand the laws. It is the job of the State to ensure that industry adheres to the laws. But unfortunately, there is lack of communication between the two, he said and remarked that the State Forest and Environment Secretary should have been present at the function.
Agreeing that time factor is vital for the projects, the NGT chief argued for a single-window system for all clearances for forest, wildlife and water laws for industries to avoid project delays. later, if there are violations, the screw can be tightened and the project scrapped.
He said that though corporate social responsibility (CSR) is most important, industries are not fully aware of their tasks. Putting up a big board in the industry premises is not good CSR, he remarked.
Quoting Macpherson, Justice Kumar said, “If you think economy is more important than environment then try holding your breadth while counting your money.” Though development is important, it should not be at the cost of environment.
Giving an example, he said that for a flyover project in New Delhi which would have cut the travelling time from one hour to 15 minutes, 1,300 trees would have been cut. But the NGT intervened and stopped the project because local residents would have found it hard even to breathe after completion of the project.
Speaking about Odisha, he said when it rains for two hours there is knee-deep water on the roads in Bhubaneswar. A small place like the holy town of Puri, which is famous for lord Jagannath, is not kept clean, but there is talk of mega industries.
Among others, Chief Secretary GC Pati, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) UK Behera, Nalco CMD Ansuman Das, PPT Chairman Sudhansu Sekhara Mishra, Dhamra Port CEO Santosh Mohapatra and senior advocate RS Suri also spoke. While UCCI president Ramesh Mahapatra presided over the function, secretary Debabrata Dash introduced the dignitaries.