Shri Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment & Forests should indeed be complimented for reviewing the clearances given for Vedanta (Bauxite Mining), POSCO (Steel Plant) and a few other projects. I welcome these decisions. They have certainly set a new trend in environment governance in the country.
The existing legislation though covers adequate provision empowering the State Boards to prescribe stringent emission/
discharge standards while issuing the consent under the Water Act/Air Act, the judgments presently made by the SPCBs appear to be based on their respective experiences in qualitative terms for specifying stringent standards on a case to case basis.
The National Wildlife Action Plan was adopted in 2004. It entailed identifying ecologically fragile areas and wildlife corridors within 10 km of protected areas, and getting states to notify them as eco-fragile zones under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. But there was no progress in some states.
In one fell swoop the Union ministry of environment and forests is preparing to disband several key committees set up under section 3 iii of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The dissolved panels will be replaced with a national environment author
the Delhi high court has banned the use of firecrackers and loudspeakers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi unless a special permission is taken. Their use is going to be regulated even
the system of public hearing is turning out to be a farce in Gujarat. In 1994, the Union ministry of environment and forests made Environmental Public Hearing mandatory for 29 industries listed
SARISKA was first declared a reserved area in 1955 through a notification issued under the Rajasthan Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act, 1951. Later, parts of it were declared a sanctuary and a
FOR THE first time in India's environmental history, a person was imprisoned for contempt of court in relation to the Sariska mining case. The Supreme Court-appointed committee had invited
