Exasperated over the alleged unilateral decision of the Minister, several members have written letters to Ramesh expressing their dissent. According to them, the meeting was conducted in great haste for simply giving clearances and most of them got just 24-72 hours to study project proposals running into hundreds of pages. As many as 38 proposals reached at the eleventh hour giving them little time for preparation, they added.
“These are by no means ordinary proposals but relate to the protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries which constitute just about 4 per cent of the total area in the country. Our decisions in these meetings concern the critically endangered wildlife. This is certainly not the way to dispose of such proposals", pointed out a member, on condition of anonymity. The opinion of the Board is binding on the Government.
The members further noted that no conservation issue was discussed, even those raised by them did not figure in the agenda. Read the full report here.
Source: Moushumi Basu, The Pioneer, New Delhi.
