The Environment Ministry has lifted moratorium on setting up new projects in the erstwhile critically polluting areas (CPA) in industrial clusters of Maharashtra under the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI). These include Chandrapur, Tadali, Ghuggus, Ballapur in the State, following revised CEPI score based on the monitoring conducted by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This will enable new investments in the region, which was stalled for last more than five years.
The evaluation of the CEPI score in the Chandrapur (Maharashtra) is 54.42, as compared to the CEPI score assessed by CPCB in 2013 (81.90). It has also been intimated that the action plan formulated for Chandrapur is at various stages of implementation. The assessment of Central Pollution Control Board was done between February - March 2016.
In view of the re-assessment of CEPI score and taking into consideration that action plans for improving environment quality take time to yield results, it has been decided to lift the moratorium on the consideration of projects for environmental clearance in respect of projects to be located in Chandrapur (Maharashtra), where CEPI score is below 70 as compared to the CEPI score of 2013 (81.93), said the Ministry sources.
CPCB has recently revised the criterion to assess CEPI across industrial clusters in the country and has asked state pollution control boards to do a fresh assessment of industrial clusters based on the new parameters.
"The new formula of CEPI is more scientific reasonable and will ensure pollution management better. To that end this new formula will give justice and this will end arbitrariness," said the Ministry sources, after the moratorium was lifted.
However, the Ministry despite lifting the moratorium has also imposed conditions which include putting up of an approved action plan along with implementation status by CPCB and State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
The state pollution control board will also ensure that any new projects or expansion of existing ones or any change in product mix is in line with the overall approved action plan of the CPA. The implementation of action plan of CPA will be reviewed by the SPCB on quarterly basis and report sent to CPCB by the seventh day of the month.
The monitoring in CPA would be done by SPCB through a third party on annual basis for computing CEPI. This will be done during December-February and the report sent to CPCB by April. CPCB, in turn,would submit its report to the Environment Ministry.
Further, the Environment Assessment Committee (EAC) and its state unit will take extra precaution during appraisal of projects to be located in these areas and prescribe stringent safeguard measures, so that the environmental quality does not deteriorate further in the CPA.
In 2009-10, the CPCB had carried out the first comprehensive environmental assessment in 88 prominent industrial clusters which showed that 43 industrial clusters were CPA based on a high CEPI score.
Of the 43, the three states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra alone had 17 CPAs. In 2010, based on the CEPI scores, the then Environment Ministry headed by Jairam Ramesh had imposed a moratorium in these CPAs on developmental projects.