Ease of Damaging Ecology

Context: Diluting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) while blindly chasing economic growth can be counterproductive in the long run.

Issues related Draft Environmental impact assessment 2020:

• Post facto clearance: Projects can be initiated without waiting for the EIA. If found violative of law, project proponents can legalise their actions by paying penalties.

• The SC had observed that ex post facto environment clearance is in derogation of fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence.

• Draft EIA takes away the right of civil society: to point out violations;  It bars public interest litigations about the violation of environmental clearance conditions. 
• Increased exemption list: Many industry categories would not require public consultation and approval of the Environment Appraisal Committee. For E.g. 

• Area development projects, 
• production of many chemicals, 
• expansion or widening of national highways, 
• construction of roads inside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, etc.

Case studies related to violation of EIA:

• Recent incidents in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

• The LG Polymers gas leak exposed gaps in environmental oversight and safety systems. 
• The state pollution control board has issued permissions to the company under the Water Act citing zero liquid discharge. 
• The company was routinely issued consent for the operation, despite emissions from styrene plants.
• State-level green enforcement agencies are either understaffed or compromised in industry clusters.

• Char Dham Pariyojana for widening the road to Badrinath and Kedarnath.

• The Ministry of Road Transport broke up the project into 53 smaller projects of less than 100 km each, just to evade the provision of the EIA. 
• The project has led to massive slope cutting, felling of trees and is resulting in disasters like landslides in stretches, according to an expert committee.