Category: Environment, Forest and Climate change

Unresolved conflicts characterize environmental nod to 70 of 75 projects involving 7.28 lakh ha land: Study

A recent research study has said that of the “75 cases of conflict over land use change” involving 7,28,673 hectares (ha) “officially transferred through environmental clearance process”, in as many of 70 conflicts have remained unresolved even today. The projects have been chosen out of a list of environmental clearances granted to 14,498 projects, uploaded on the Union environment ministry’s website as of October 2017.

Most of the land use changes carried out for satisfying the demand for “developmental” needs relate to infrastructure expansion and industrial acceleration, and urbanisation. Read more

Courtesy: Counterview

TN govt’s Sterlite closure order on shaky ground

Advocate Ritwick Dutta who specialises in environment law, said, “If the pollution control board or the government is directing for closure, specific violations of the Air Act, Water Act and Environment Protection Act need to be cited. The order should be based on sound reasoning and state what the liability of the company as they have to clean up the mess.” Read more

Courtesy: The Times of India

Govt of India push for ‘commercially important’ invasive timber for afforestation to damage ecology, groundwater

The recently-released draft National Forest Policy (NFP), says a representation before the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), would adversely affect scheduled tribes, 90% of whom live in forest areas and intractable terrains, by turning them into migrant construction labourers by displacing them for the exploitation of minerals and other development projects. Read more

Courtesy: Counterview

Mining children are nobody’s baby in Govt of India, ministry and laws are quiet on child rights, says representation

Raising a major policy issue, a top advocacy group, Mines, Minerals and People (MM&P) has regretted that the plight of the “mining children” is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, which looks after all the mines in India, and the result is a strange “mess”: the lives of children as a result of mining has to be addressed by other departments like child welfare, education, tribal welfare, labour, environment and others. Read more

Courtesy: Counterview

Relief eludes manyPolavaram evacuees

Tribal evacuees subjected to submergence under the Polavaram major irrigation project have not received their share of compensation under the Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) package even after one decade, though they are ready to vacate their villages.

The evacuees are residing on the left bank of the Akhanda Godavari and the villages include Angaluru, P. Gonduru and Nelakota in P. Gonduru panchayat limits, Nagallapalli, Varasanapadu, Bodugudem and Ravilanka in A. Vemavaram panchayat. There are allegations of large-scale misappropriation in the first phase compensation.

Read more

Courtesy: The Hindu

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