During his first flush of activity after taking over as minister of environment and forests with independent charge in ’09, most activists raised a toast to Jairam Ramesh. Today it’s a different story. The minister spoke to Outlook. Excerpts:
There is a perception that Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) aren’t up to the mark. What steps are you taking to ensure greater transparency?
Yes, EIAS are of indifferent quality. Very often they are cut-and-paste jobs and do not treat issues seriously. Asking the project proponents to get the EIA done themselves is an inherent drawback. Of course, such EIAS will necessarily give a clean chit. We have now introduced an accreditation system for consultants who do these EIAS in collaboration with the Quality Council of India. I am also thinking of a new system whereby the MOEF has a roster of consultants/ firms/institutions (like the CAG panel of auditors, for instance) and the MOEF will have the EIAS done.
The National Green Tribunal Act (NGT) for the first time empowers government agencies and corporates with the right to appeal....
The NGT is an important institutional innovation which will empower the common man. Let it become functional, you will begin to see the difference.
Our rivers continue to remain cesspools while the NCRA (National Conservation of Rivers Authority) has not met since 2003?
Our rivers have become sewers, I agree. We have a national river conservation programme that has been substantially under-funded. But funding apart, we have to change the management systems as they relate to our rivers. A River Regulation Zone notification is needed to protect our riverbeds. We have launched a very ambitious mission, the Clean Ganga project. We have invoked Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, to close down units that discharge effluents directly without treatment into the Ganga. But you are right that our rivers have become cesspools.
On Vedanta, you have allowed expansion of the refinery? On Posco, you are backtracking? The CRZ notification has also been criticised....
On Vedanta, our position is that they violated the law in expanding the refinery from 1 mtpa to 6 mtpa. That position has not changed. All that we have said is that Vedanta must apply afresh for environmental clearance. The matter is now, however, in the Orissa High Court since Vedanta has challenged our order. On Posco, I have said that we will take a final decision by this month-end. The key word in my vocabulary is balance—I have to find the middle ground between faster economic growth and ecological security. I know environmentalists have attacked me for the CRZ notification, 2011, which has been hailed by the growth-wallahs. On the other hand, the GDP constituency has attacked me for refusing clearances to coal mines in rich forest areas which has been hailed by the environment types.
