For the environment ministry, which regulates environmental impact of the projects, giving the exemption sought would mean a key change in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006. The EIA notification of 2006 gives power to the state and the central governments to clear individual projects depending on their cost and land area. Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh brought a key change in the notification by making seeking approval for expansion mandatory.
But, the commerce ministry wants relaxation in both these norms. It has asked the environment ministry to give environment clearance on basis of a comprehensive EIA for entire manufacturing zone of more than 500 hectares. It also does not want the industry to come back to the ministry in case individual industries want to expand.Â
The ministry believes that if the exemption sought under the new policy are accepted the EIA notification will have to be changed drastically and can dilute the stringent environmental rule. Read the full report here.
Source: Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times, New Delhi.
