Environment body counters NIB claim on green clearances

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a leading non-government organisation, has issued a strong statement against the proposed National Investment Board (NIB) with overriding powers to clear projects. It warns that green clearances are already too easy to get and seldom followed up with monitoring.

It released government data today on the scale and pace of environment and forest clearances given during the 11th Five Year Plan (April 2007-March 2012). The study looks at five key sectors – thermal power, hydropower, cement, iron and steel and mining – and said it proved that the scale of clearances has been nothing less than ''unprecedented''.

The Delhi-based NGO said the data showed environmental clearances for 2,17,794 mw of thermal power had been granted during the 11th Five-Year Plan as compared to only 53,000 mw that actually got commissioned during the period.

Stating that the NIB would destroy the existing environmental regulatory regime, which instead needed more reforms, CSE claimed that project rejection rates for forest clearances were a mere 6 per cent and for environment clearance an almost negligible 0.1 per cent.

Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, said, ''The analysis of this data clearly shows that the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has not been an impediment to infrastructure development. Instead, it has granted massive numbers of clearances, which are today jeopardising environmental security. This is also making a complete mockery of our regulatory systems. Why, therefore, do we need the NIB?''

She added that the government should dwell on the reasons behind delay in commissioning of cleared projects instead of the NIB proposal.