NDA government green- lighted 65% infra projects; activists sound red alert
STATE OF ENVIRONMENT 2019 REPORT UPA-II gave wildlife clearance to 45.5% proposals; govt says checks in place
MUMBAI: The current NDA government’s wildlife clearance rate was 65% (519 of 794), compared to 45.5% (260 of 571) of the previous UPA-II government, according to data from the ‘State of Environment 2019’ report released recently by a research and advocacy group, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The rate of rejection of the NDA government was negligible, with 1.1% projects disallowed between June 2014 and May 2018. While the sanctioned proposals impacted 24,329 hectares (ha) of forest and wildlife zones in the country, both inside and outside protected areas (PAS), 249, or 31.3%, were deferred for additional details or requirements, 17 projects were de-listed and nine projects rejected. “It can be said that practically no proposal has been denied clearance under this government,” the report read. “The process of seeking clearances is increasingly becoming a formality,” read the conclusion.
“From allowing coal mining projects in eco-sensitive areas to recommending numerous linear infrastructure projects across wildlife habitats in northeast India and central India, the entire process to study and issue clearances has been diluted,” said Srestha Banerjee, programme manager, environmental governance unit, CSE.
The Union environment min- The pace of WLCS granted over the past four years when compared against UPA II, shows that clearances have gone up significantly. From 2014 through 2018, the overall rate of rejection was a mere 1.1%. Under UPA-II, the rejection rate was 11.9%.
( Source: State of Environment 2019 report by CSE) Madhya Pradesh Gujarat Uttarakhand Maharashtra
Rajasthan
(Source: State of Environment 2019 report by CSE)
istry explained the rise in approvals, saying earlier NBWL clearance was needed only for protected areas. “However, the Supreme Court declared a 10km buffer area outside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones, and proposals in these areas needed to be examined by NBWL also. As a result, the number of proposals rose to more than double,” said
Siddhanta Das, director general of forests, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC). “Secondly, we have a much more transparent web-based system that allows people to apply for clearances easily. Most proposals are public utility projects and they are rigorously scrutinised at the district, state and then by NBWL, which further weighs each
application.”
Current NBWL members said project clearances now come with certain mandatory conditions, which were not there before. “All road projects across the country causing fragmentation or loss to wildlife are being approved with compulsory wildlife mitigation plans. Such stringency was never there before 2014,” said VB Mathur, director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and NBWL SC member. “In August 2018, the environment ministry notified the ‘animal passage plan’, which also makes it mandatory to provide wildlife safety measures before drafting the plan passing through PAS.”
Ecologists said irrespective of which government is in power, clearances have been issued Considering sectors, maximum approval (152 projects) has been given for road and highway projects, which also leads to fragmentation of wildlife corridors. However, the maximum impacted area is for irrigation project which is about 13,377 ha
Projects are also being cleared in Protected Areas (PA), as important as tiger reserves. The Government, in fact, has introduced the provision of “most exceptional circumstances” to allow use/ diversion of forests within PAS under the pretext of ‘balancing’ conservation with development. However, there is no clarity on what constitutes such “cases” and seems to be completely subjective. regardless of their merit. “Clearances are being filled with wrong information and incorrect analysis to suit the needs of those in power. However, the impression is the current administration has a shoddier record in protecting what is at stake,” said Madhav Gadgil, ecologist and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.