But the neopotism of the incumbent govt has hit the last nail right in head of the Congress. The projects delayed just not escalates costs Thousands of people suffer and wait for completion due to a block this people when they see project not moving ahead and top of corruption.
I wouldn't say that the MOEF is very efficient or right about everything, but if lots of our coal blocks are in good forest areas, we need to prioritise and decide to preserve some of these areas. If the MOEF says NO to a project , then industry must accept this not cry foul and lay the blame on all and sundry.
MOEF and the Coal Min need to sit together and decide which blocks to open and which ones to close forever. If we simply mine anywhere we please, we'll become another China where Beijingers are breathing soot everyday.
We need to speed up our solar, wind and nuclear missions, since they are the future and gradually wind down on coal.
WE need a Western GHats style Policy document for every major area in the country.
Once the NO GO blocks are decided mutually, then there should be no arm twisting by industry , via the PMO or other means, to open these up again.
Mutual discussion and decisions are the real need today.
Re: Need to conserve also.
by zo khual on Jan 22, 2014 03:39 PM
The spirit of Forest Conservation Act & Environment Protection is not to say "No" to any project by MOEF. The spirit is how to minimize the bad effect of mega projects on environment. Supreme Court should also know how to let go of MOEF. Now the babus in MOEF are sleeping on files blaming on Supreme Court environment activism. MOEF is actually collapsing under the sutnami of pending files.
Re: Re: Need to conserve also.
by Sudarshan Nityananda on Jan 22, 2014 08:12 PM
EVERY project proposal is NOT worthy of being cleared, in case a very ecologically sensitive area is involved. Example, environs of Kanha Natl Park, some Uttarakhand river valleys, some parts of W GHats. There has to be a firm NO to such areas after identification and industry must take it in the right spirit.
