CENTRE LOOKS TO CHANGE LAW ON ENVT AMID CONCERNS

NEW DELHI: The environment ministry is working on a radical change to the country’s environmental law regime, including changes in the important Wildlife Protection Act 1972, senior environment ministry officials said. The move comes amidst concerns among activists and environment groups that the changes are being made to make it easier to develop infrastructure and industrial projects -even in environmentally sensitive areas.

The ministry’s wildlife division has prepared a Cabinet note to amend the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which is yet to be cleared by the Cabinet; a similar note on the amendment to Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 has also been finalised after circulating it internally among ministries.

The FC Act amendment has been finalised with inputs from ministries. The first draft was cleared and is ready to be sent for Cabinet nod, ministry officials said.

On April 8, the ministry called for expression of interest from consulting and law firms to prepare a new draft amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

Meanwhile, a private law firm is preparing a draft environmental management act which will subsume the Air Act 1981, Water Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and serve as an overarching law for all infrastructure and industry projects. This will also cover regulations of the coastal areas and islands through the Coastal Regulation Zone provisions.

RP Gupta, secretary at the ministry did not reply to HT’s questionnaire or calls seeking comment. A senior environment ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the idea is to “streamline processes and to remove any ambiguity in provisions. This will make the job easy for everyone.”