Skip to main content

Highway Authority report for Vadodara-Mumbai expressway wants clearances for Ganga Expressway, UP!

By Our Representative
A recent letter by Gujarat’s environmental organization, Paryavaran Mitra, to Dr V Rajagopal, secretary, ministry of environment and forests, Government of India, has revealed roughshod manner in which Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports for different developmental projects are prepared in India. Referring to the EIA report proposed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway Project, the top environmental group has said, “The consultants for the NHAI have done a simple copy paste job", and “taken shortcut by copying and pasting the project descriptions from similar project of Ganga Expressway.”
Calling this as “the violation of the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) office memorandum No J-11013/41/2006-IA.II (I) dated October 5, 2011, regarding ownership of EIA report and other documents”, the letter gives two different instances of how the copy paste job has been done in a very haphazard manner. Enclosing printouts of the pages where this copy paste has been done, the letter says: “On page 1-6 of the draft EIA report, point 1.1 Environmental Regulatory Frame Work, it is mentioned ‘Table 1.2 Clearances and Permissions required for Ganga Expressway Project’.”
Then, on “page 7-3 of the draft EIA report under Development of Agriculture, it says “Expressway will also help in import of new techniques of agriculture to most backward areas of Uttar Pradesh”. The letter adds, “As Ganga Expressway was a project of Uttar Pradesh, so mention of Ganga Expressway and Uttar Pradesh in the report shows that that the consultants have forgotten to replace it while doing copy paste”!
The letter quotes the MoEF office memorandum, No. J-11013/41/2006-IA.II (I) dated October 5, 2011, regarding ownership of EIA report and other documents by project proponent, which says, “If at any stage, it is observed or brought to the notice of this ministry that the contents of the EIA report pertaining to a project have been copied from other EIA reports, such projects shall be summarily rejected and the proponent will have to initiate the process afresh including conduct of public hearing.”
The letter also quotes the notification to say that, besides these actions, “separate action will be initiated to delist such consultants from the list of accredited consultants.” The letter, signed by Paryavaran Mitra director Mahesh Pandya, insists that “in view of the above, it is our strong demand that this entire project must be shelved for the time being and all the procedures be started afresh. Also, we request you to take strict action against the consultant to set an example for other consultants.”
Working in Gujarat as voluntary organization in the field of environment and industrial pollution issues since 1997, Paryavaran Mitra has been involved in reviewing of EIA report and participation in environmental public hearing (EPH), which is based on EIA, across the state. The NHAI has proposed to construct a new 6/8 lane Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway passing through Vadodra, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari and Valsad districts of Gujarat. The EPH of all districts of which was held in last week of February. EIA report of this project has been prepared by Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.
Paryavaran Mitra has claimed, it has “written various letters to the NHAI regarding various violations of EIA notification by this project.” Despite the fact that EPH was held, it adds, their minutes have “not yet uploaded even after two weeks of the public hearing…” Now, with the new proof, it is clear that the “consultants have copied the EIA report from some other document.” The letter has been forwarded to the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), New Delhi, which gives accreditation to consultants to prepare EIA.

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.