MoEF flags 37% area of W Ghats as no-go zone
High-Polluting Industries, Mining Barred In World’s Second-Most Important Shelter For Threatened Species
Vishwa Mohan TNN
New Delhi: The ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has finally notified nearly 60,000sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ecologically sensitive area (ESA). This makes it a no-go zone where activities such as mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high-polluting industries will be banned with immediate effect.
Building and construction projects of 20,000sq meters area and above and township and area development projects with an area of 50 hectares and above or with built up area of 1,50,000sq meters and above will be prohibited in these areas. Hydro-electric power projects and windmills will, however, be allowed in the ESA under strict green norms and monitoring.
The ministry, in its notification issued on Wednesday, annexed a comprehensive list of state-wise, district-wise and talukawise villages in the ESA and posted details on its website while asking the six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — to implement the order strictly.
“In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 will be taken,” said the notification.
The ESA — roughly 37% (59,940sq km) of the Western Ghats — has been earmarked on the basis of the recommendation of a committee, under the chairmanship of Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan, which had submitted its report to the government on April 15. TOI,initsOctober 19 edition, was the firsttoreportthatthegovernment had in principle accepted the Kasturirangan panel’s suggestions.
The ministry will soon constitute a committee to monitor the time-bound implementation of the Kasturirangan panel report.
Though any new or expansion project will be banned in those notified villages across the six states with immediate effect, the applications for getting various environmental clearances, which were submitted before April 17, will be processed as per earlier rules. April 17 is fixed as the cut-off date because the committee had made its report, earmarking those areas as ESZ, public on that particular date.
The panel had identified the more or less contiguous area — roughly 37% of the Western Ghats — as natural landscape having high biological richness, low forest fragmentation and low population density. It also found that this area also has World Heritage sites and tiger and elephant corridors, making it to be a fit case for earmarked as ecologically sensitive area.
The notification asked the states to follow the “non-tolerance” policy towards prohibiting “highly interventionist and environmentally damaging activities” as Western Ghats has been under unprecedented threats due to mining and urbanization.
It specifically flagged the Red category (high polluting) of industries such as thermal power, oil refinery, petrochemical, cement, sugar, pesticide, zinc smelting, leather and integrated steel plants among others, which are part of the list of polluting industries prepared by Central Pollution Control Board and pollution control boards of most of the states, for imposing the ban.
Besides being a global biodiversity hotspot and treasure trove of varieties of flora and fauna, the Western Ghats, which extends over 1,500km and traverses through six states, is the origin of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and a number of other rivers.
Source:
Times of India, 15/11/2013
From India, Malappuram
1444High-Polluting Industries, Mining Barred In World’s Second-Most Important Shelter For Threatened Species
Vishwa Mohan TNN
New Delhi: The ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has finally notified nearly 60,000sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ecologically sensitive area (ESA). This makes it a no-go zone where activities such as mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high-polluting industries will be banned with immediate effect.
Building and construction projects of 20,000sq meters area and above and township and area development projects with an area of 50 hectares and above or with built up area of 1,50,000sq meters and above will be prohibited in these areas. Hydro-electric power projects and windmills will, however, be allowed in the ESA under strict green norms and monitoring.
The ministry, in its notification issued on Wednesday, annexed a comprehensive list of state-wise, district-wise and talukawise villages in the ESA and posted details on its website while asking the six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — to implement the order strictly.
“In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 will be taken,” said the notification.
The ESA — roughly 37% (59,940sq km) of the Western Ghats — has been earmarked on the basis of the recommendation of a committee, under the chairmanship of Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan, which had submitted its report to the government on April 15. TOI,initsOctober 19 edition, was the firsttoreportthatthegovernment had in principle accepted the Kasturirangan panel’s suggestions.
The ministry will soon constitute a committee to monitor the time-bound implementation of the Kasturirangan panel report.
Though any new or expansion project will be banned in those notified villages across the six states with immediate effect, the applications for getting various environmental clearances, which were submitted before April 17, will be processed as per earlier rules. April 17 is fixed as the cut-off date because the committee had made its report, earmarking those areas as ESZ, public on that particular date.
The panel had identified the more or less contiguous area — roughly 37% of the Western Ghats — as natural landscape having high biological richness, low forest fragmentation and low population density. It also found that this area also has World Heritage sites and tiger and elephant corridors, making it to be a fit case for earmarked as ecologically sensitive area.
The notification asked the states to follow the “non-tolerance” policy towards prohibiting “highly interventionist and environmentally damaging activities” as Western Ghats has been under unprecedented threats due to mining and urbanization.
It specifically flagged the Red category (high polluting) of industries such as thermal power, oil refinery, petrochemical, cement, sugar, pesticide, zinc smelting, leather and integrated steel plants among others, which are part of the list of polluting industries prepared by Central Pollution Control Board and pollution control boards of most of the states, for imposing the ban.
Besides being a global biodiversity hotspot and treasure trove of varieties of flora and fauna, the Western Ghats, which extends over 1,500km and traverses through six states, is the origin of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and a number of other rivers.
Source:
Times of India, 15/11/2013
From India, Malappuram
Respected sir,
According to my opinion, industries are an important source to improve the financial condition of our country, and that is the the reason why we cannot easily put a ban on the industries. Thus industries are not the main cause of harming the flora and fauna of our country, instead it is we the humans who forget to replace the number of trees which have been cut down. I hope that my opinion would be a useful for you!!!
From India, Delhi
According to my opinion, industries are an important source to improve the financial condition of our country, and that is the the reason why we cannot easily put a ban on the industries. Thus industries are not the main cause of harming the flora and fauna of our country, instead it is we the humans who forget to replace the number of trees which have been cut down. I hope that my opinion would be a useful for you!!!
From India, Delhi
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.
Industries where Employing Child Labour is banned.doc
SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING (S.H.I.T).gif
Coaching For High Performance Training.zip