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SC boost for Ramesh's bid to set up autonomous green clearance body
Read more:National Environment Appraisal|Lafarge mining case|Jairam Ramesh|independent clearance authority|environment ministry
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court may have cleared the Lafarge mining case, but it has also ordered the setting up of an independent clearance authority. The move is a boost to Union minister Jairam Ramesh's plans to legislate an autonomous National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority.
Taking the cue from the suggestions made by the environment ministry to strengthen the clearance process, the apex court backed the creation of an independent arm that would give its approval and also pro-actively monitor implementation of project's clearance conditions.
As reported by TOI earlier, the environment ministry has already moved the bill to create such an authority for inter-ministerial discussions.
The court also backed the ministry on its steps taken to integrate the two clearances it grants – forestry and environmental. It has stipulated that for mining projects and others beyond a certain size, the project developers would have to get clear proof to ensure that the land involved is not a forest land. In case it is, the ministry would not grant environmental clearance till the forestry clearance has been secured.
It had been noted in several cases – like Lafarge's Meghalaya project – that disputes often arise about the land bearing a patch of forest after the environmental clearance had been granted. To ensure discrepancies do not arise and the ministry is not provided a fait accompli, the new rules will ensure that the status of the land is resolved in advance. Another step to make the 'corporate environmental responsibility' a mandatory requirement has also been supported by the court.
Welcoming the apex court's order, Ramesh said it would put the National Forest Policy on a firmer footing. "The Lafarge judgment puts in place a structure that will make the process of environmental governance more effective. The ministry is of the view that the judiciary has played a pivotal role in environment and forest management," he added.
Taking the cue from the suggestions made by the environment ministry to strengthen the clearance process, the apex court backed the creation of an independent arm that would give its approval and also pro-actively monitor implementation of project's clearance conditions.
As reported by TOI earlier, the environment ministry has already moved the bill to create such an authority for inter-ministerial discussions.
The court also backed the ministry on its steps taken to integrate the two clearances it grants – forestry and environmental. It has stipulated that for mining projects and others beyond a certain size, the project developers would have to get clear proof to ensure that the land involved is not a forest land. In case it is, the ministry would not grant environmental clearance till the forestry clearance has been secured.
It had been noted in several cases – like Lafarge's Meghalaya project – that disputes often arise about the land bearing a patch of forest after the environmental clearance had been granted. To ensure discrepancies do not arise and the ministry is not provided a fait accompli, the new rules will ensure that the status of the land is resolved in advance. Another step to make the 'corporate environmental responsibility' a mandatory requirement has also been supported by the court.
Welcoming the apex court's order, Ramesh said it would put the National Forest Policy on a firmer footing. "The Lafarge judgment puts in place a structure that will make the process of environmental governance more effective. The ministry is of the view that the judiciary has played a pivotal role in environment and forest management," he added.
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Sid Harth (USA)
1 min ago (07:27 AM)
I couldn't be more pleased at this new development in a process of Union minister Jairam Ramesh's plans to legislate an autonomous National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority. While the media failed to be the critical judges on Annamania, at least, in this case, I must heartily congratulate one particular media group, namely, GOL, oops, TOI. May Allah be praised. Getting back to Jayaram Ramesh, he is a doll, oops, a devil, oops, a deity who is at loggerheads with the deep pocketed industrialists, capitalists of the Indian variety. Not to forget, the real estate tycoons, oops, goons trying to put political pressure on him to make amends with his strict policies, oops, God given gifts to identify problems and stop being made another Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja like ministers. These two goons made suitable emendments to favor rascals, rogues and ruffians of Indian society. What does Hasan Ali got to do with secretly transferring funds in Kanimozhi's account? What does Shaid Balwa and his merry men have to do with 2G spectrum allocation? He is in real estate, not in high finance, oops, in telephony. A phony person like him has taken law into their own hands and fed tons of black money into the system. That includes personal messengers, personal couriers of black money, personal legal advisers, personal body guards and personal investment advisers. Lot has been said about the culpability of high and mighty. That includes people like Ratan tata, Mukesh Ambani and his little brother, Anil Ambani and their secret pressure techniques thru a foreigner, named Neera Radia. No wonder, the government of India used their power to intercept conversations among these people and ended up in putting such notables as Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja and Kanimozji in Tihar jail. If everything goes according to Jayaram Ramesh' new and autonomous authority, people would like their environment cake, oops, eat environment and development cake and have it too. Let me take a minute to quote my good buddy, SAURABH CHATURVEDI. "NEW DELHI –India's federal environment minister Tuesday denied forest clearance to a coal block given to Gujarat Mineral Development Corp. and has recommended the allocation of another deposit in the central state of Chhattisgarh. GMDC is in a pact with KSK Energy Ventures Ltd. to supply coal from the block for KSK's upcoming 1,800 megawatt power plant in Chhattisgarh. he block, Morga-II, is in the restricted mining zone in forest areas, also known as the "no-go" area. The block, which has an estimated resource base of 350 million tons, was allocated to GMDC in 2006. Alternatively, GMDC has identified the Bhalumuda block in Chhattisgarh and applied to the coal ministry for its allocation. "It is hoped that the ministry of coal will make the alternative coal block allocation given the flexibility that the ministry of environment and forests is demonstrating in allowing some coal blocks allocated five to six years ago." #wsj.com ...and I am Sid Harth
1 min ago (07:27 AM)
I couldn't be more pleased at this new development in a process of Union minister Jairam Ramesh's plans to legislate an autonomous National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority. While the media failed to be the critical judges on Annamania, at least, in this case, I must heartily congratulate one particular media group, namely, GOL, oops, TOI. May Allah be praised. Getting back to Jayaram Ramesh, he is a doll, oops, a devil, oops, a deity who is at loggerheads with the deep pocketed industrialists, capitalists of the Indian variety. Not to forget, the real estate tycoons, oops, goons trying to put political pressure on him to make amends with his strict policies, oops, God given gifts to identify problems and stop being made another Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja like ministers. These two goons made suitable emendments to favor rascals, rogues and ruffians of Indian society. What does Hasan Ali got to do with secretly transferring funds in Kanimozhi's account? What does Shaid Balwa and his merry men have to do with 2G spectrum allocation? He is in real estate, not in high finance, oops, in telephony. A phony person like him has taken law into their own hands and fed tons of black money into the system. That includes personal messengers, personal couriers of black money, personal legal advisers, personal body guards and personal investment advisers. Lot has been said about the culpability of high and mighty. That includes people like Ratan tata, Mukesh Ambani and his little brother, Anil Ambani and their secret pressure techniques thru a foreigner, named Neera Radia. No wonder, the government of India used their power to intercept conversations among these people and ended up in putting such notables as Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja and Kanimozji in Tihar jail. If everything goes according to Jayaram Ramesh' new and autonomous authority, people would like their environment cake, oops, eat environment and development cake and have it too. Let me take a minute to quote my good buddy, SAURABH CHATURVEDI. "NEW DELHI –India's federal environment minister Tuesday denied forest clearance to a coal block given to Gujarat Mineral Development Corp. and has recommended the allocation of another deposit in the central state of Chhattisgarh. GMDC is in a pact with KSK Energy Ventures Ltd. to supply coal from the block for KSK's upcoming 1,800 megawatt power plant in Chhattisgarh. he block, Morga-II, is in the restricted mining zone in forest areas, also known as the "no-go" area. The block, which has an estimated resource base of 350 million tons, was allocated to GMDC in 2006. Alternatively, GMDC has identified the Bhalumuda block in Chhattisgarh and applied to the coal ministry for its allocation. "It is hoped that the ministry of coal will make the alternative coal block allocation given the flexibility that the ministry of environment and forests is demonstrating in allowing some coal blocks allocated five to six years ago." #wsj.com ...and I am Sid Harth
...and I am Sid Harth@mysistereileen.com
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