Let
me come clean, as suits a short post on the environment. I read an article [1]
and felt that the government’s concerns regarding the environment are being
whittled down. First, it is the fact that the Ministry of Environment &
Forest will be handled by a Minister of State (Independent Charge), Mr.Prakash
Javadekar.
Let
me be honest here. I really do not know, functionally speaking, how far down a ministry
is being demoted by being headed by a Minster of State rather than a full-fledged
Cabinet Minister. Yet, I am sure it at least a few rungs down.
As
per the report in the paper, the minister will try to “…bring down the maximum
time for clearances to 60 days eventually.”
To
be honest, I do not know whether these were the minister’s words or the way the
reporter understood what the minister said. Either way, please focus on the
sentence. It does not say the decision regarding environmental clearance will
be taken within 60 days. It is simply that clearances will be given in 60 days.
That is, the pre-ordained decision – clearance – will be formalized in 60 days.
This too is a few steps down the ladder as regards environmental considerations.
Taking
both the points together, I feel justified in concluding that environmental
concerns are being downgraded.
Raghuram
Ekambaram
References
1.
Application
for green nod to go online: Javadekar, The Business Line, May 29, 2014
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