Greens hail NGT directive

The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directive, asking the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to consider the Gadgil Panel report while granting environmental clearance to projects, could be a major setback to the MoEF which was in the process of setting up a committee to review the panel recommendations. With the NGT order, the Ministry would be forced to reconsider its decision.

“State governments oppose the report without going through many of the recommendations.  In fact, the panel has said that hydel projects of up to 10 megawatts can be implemented at Ecologically Sensitive Zone(ESZ)-I. The report is not at all against developmental projects.  According to the report, the ESZ would be a forest region contiguous to the extension of national parks and sanctuaries. 

The report suggests certain guidelines to be followed for activities in this zone,” said V S Vijayan, member of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP).

He further pointed out that with the tribunal accepting the panel report, it would be difficult for the MoEF to reject the recommendations.

It was while considering a petition filed by various NGOs - the Goa Foundation, Peaceful Society and River Research Centre and others from South India - that the NGT issued an interim order directing the MoEF to consider the recommendations of the WGEEP report while granting environmental clearance to projects proposed to come up at ESZ-1 in the Western Ghats.

The tribunal directive would also be a setback to the state government which has rejected the panel report, pointed out A Latha of the Thrissur-based River Research Centre, one of the petitioners in the case.

“The state has also rejected the WGEEP panel report and is in the process of reviewing its recommendations.

Now, since the NGT asked the MoEF to follow the panel recommendations for ESZ-I, any mini-micro project in this region can be implemented only by following the suggested regulations. That way the NGT order is helpful.  Now, there’s more to be done regarding the zonalisation, as suggested by the panel,” said Latha.