It Is Now Or Never: SFI Rejects EIA 2020

Student Struggle Editorial Team

The Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020, has been published by the The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to replace the the existing EIA Notification, 2006 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The new Draft contains modifications and amendments which will severely alter the guidelines that exist in the country to protect its forests and those who inhabit them. Ever since its introduction in the public realm, there has been signfiicant resistance from among the people of the country against it. Along with many other differences from the existing system of rules, the new Draft seeks to exclude and exempt a wide set of activities from the purview of public consultation. These include oil, gas and shale exploration, hydroelectric projects up to 25 MW, irrigation projects and much more. It is seriously apprehended by experts and others that the Draft, if passed, will have extremely dangerous impact on the environment by enabling significant violations. “The rules in India, including EIA 2006, it can be argued, privileged the interests of the project proponent by whittling down public consultations, accepting flawed and faulty EIA reports resulting from external influences, and ignoring the non-renewable nature of resources. Notification 2020 deepens the impact of that paradigm”, wrote G Ananthakrishnan on The Hindu.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has condemned Draft EIA 2020, as part of which today, on 10 Aug, the organisation has organised a “Twitter Storm” and tomorrow, letters will be sent enmasse to Prakash Javdekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. SFI has also released a statement in this regard, which has been republished below.

Read the statement below

SFI Rejects EIA 2020

There is a lot of sound scientific research linking the present pandemic to the vast destruction of natural habitats which among numerous other ecosystem services, also greatly buffer spillover of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19. This is in the larger context of a global climate breakdown repercussions of which our country is already witnessing many, including the recently devastating Supercyclone Amphan in the East and the cyclone Nisarga in the West. In this light, the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 caters purely to the ‘ease of doing business’ in India and does not address these larger looming issues.

The Environment Impact Assessment or EIA can be defined as the study to predict the effect of a proposed activity/project on the environment. Hence, EIA is of epitome importance when ecologically fragile and bio-diverse sites are in question. But the proposed notification considerably relaxes various guidelines, restrictions and safeguards which legally exist for our forests and local people. It seeks to make circumstances strongly favourable to industrial and corporate interests.

The new Draft allows for post-facto approval for projects. Which means that the clearances for projects can now be awarded even if they have started construction or have been running phase without securing environmental clearances. The Draft notification provides for a reduction of the time period from 30 days to 20 days for the public to submit their responses during a public hearing for any application seeking environmental clearance. The danger is that if adequate time is not given for the preparation of views, comments and suggestions to those who would be affected by the project, then such public hearings would not be meaningful. Which is undemocratic.

Also, through the Draft notification, the central government gets the power to categorise projects as “strategic.” Once a project is considered as strategic, the Draft notification states that no information related to such projects shall be placed in the public domain.

Hence it is evident that new EIA Draft notification threatens to destroy all the remaining rules and system which have been in place for the protection of Indian environment and biodiversity as a whole. It would open up fragile coasts and mountain ecosystems, forests and cyclone defender mangroves for exploitation. Thus, it will completely destroy the ecology of our country in a matter of years and destroy the economy in the long run. It is a ploy to handover our water, land and forests resources to the big corporate and jeopardises the life and livelihoods of millions of tribal and indigenous people who are dependent on these ecosystems.

SFI rejects the Draft EIA and appeal everyone to raise their voice against this crime against humanity. It’s now or never!

Sd/
VP Sanu (President)
Mayukh Biswas (General Secretary)

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