India’s ‘hasty’ environmental approvals

INDIA is fast-tracking environmental clearances for projects like power plants and coal mines in a bid to propel growth, setting off alarm bells among environmentalists and affected residents who say the decisions are being made too quickly.

In a country where state machinery typically moves slowly, the environment ministry under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slashed the average time taken to grant clearances to 170 days from 600 days, said two government sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

“We’re standardising processes and taking decisions swiftly,” said one of the officials, who did not want to be named, citing government policy. “We know the basic issues, and merely taking more time for approvals does not mean much.”

The environment ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

The push appears to be similar to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to speed up infrastructure approvals – his administration has said it wants environmental reviews for major projects to take no longer than 21 months, instead of years.

India’s industrial sector grew at 4.3% last year but growth slowed from 4.6% a year ago. The speedier approvals come as some big-ticket infrastructure projects face delays, including the proposed $100 billion Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor and the Japan-backed $17bn bullet train.

Any loss of jobs from slowing growth could hurt Modi as he seeks a second term in 2019.

Environmental group Greenpeace says India’s construction sector and coal-fired power plants are major contributors to rising levels of particulate matter in the air. The World Health Organisation says India is home to the world’s 14 most polluted cities.

The PM10 index, which measures the concentration of particulate matter of 10 microns diameter or less in the air, hit 999 in the capital New Delhi last week, the highest measure on monitoring devices.

This coarse particulate matter is mostly dust, which attaches to toxic material from other emissions.

A level of 500 is considered “hazardous” and people are advised to remain indoors.

The government halted construction activities in the capital and nearby cities to ease the pollution. – Reuters

‘We’re

swiftly’