The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday charged the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) with making a mess of granting forest clearances to industries.
It further accused the Ministry of making the project proponents wait for at least two-three years for getting approvals. The Tribunal’s strong observations came during a hearing related to POSCO’s Rs 51,000-crore mega steel project in Odisha.
A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, raised serious questions on the concept of two-stage forest clearance which is granted by the MoEF to industries. It rapped the Ministry asking how it is in conformity with the Forest Conservation Act, stressing that the legislation does not contemplate two stages of clearance.
It has only made the whole process of granting permission complex, said the bench, wondering how such a complicated process can help in sustainable development. MoEF, however, contended, “The guidelines have been issued to promote the object of Act and that concept of two-stage clearance was evolved for administrative purposes.”
The NGT retorted, “What administrationIJ You are creating a mess. You take two-three years to grant clearances while industries are kept waiting. Is this sustainable developmentIJ Your whole process has been made so complex. You have made a mess of things. It (guidelines) does not promote anything.”
The strong remarks by the tribunal came when it was listening to arguments on whether a plea challenging forest clearance of POSCO’s steel project in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha was filed too late.
Senior advocate Raj Panjwan, on behalf of petitioner Prafulla Samantara, an environmental activist, argued that the plea has not been filed too late as cutting of each tree is a fresh cause of action. He also expressed apprehensions that more trees would be cut in the future and in such circumstances, the plea is not barred by time.
POSCO on the other hand, contended that it has not cut a single tree since September 2011. It argued that the site in question is a sandy beach and not a natural forest area.