Gujarat CM to "discuss" lifting ban on investment in most polluted clusters with industrial associations

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani

Counterview Desk
A senior Gujarat-based environmentalist has alleged that the state government and Government of India have begun a fresh move to lift the moratorium imposed Vapi, Ankleshwar and Vatva, which were characterized in 2010 some of the most polluted industrial clusters of India.
Rohit Prajapati of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS), Vadodara, says that a strategy on how to lift the ban will be discussed by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani with the industrial associations of these clusters at Ankleshwar on November 26, 2016.
“The government lackadaisical attitude towards pollution control is evident”, says Prajapati, adding, “There is no talk of environmental protection and pollution control on agenda and to consult the affected people of the area.”
Calling the move “unfortunate”, Prajapati says, “Both at the state and national level, government authorities are busy to cite the manipulated figures of the CEPI (Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index) so that, if not on ground, at least on paper they can show that there is substantial improvement in CEPI.”
Noting that it is an effort to “justify their decision to lift the moratorium from Vapi, Ankleshwar and Vatva”, he says, “In spite of severe pollution in these clusters, the government has no time to discuss with the affected people and the groups working in the area on environmental protection.”
Prajapati recalls, “The consistent follow up by the pollution-affected people, people’s organisations and NGOs regarding the increasing pollution levels in the industrial areas of India forced the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State Pollution Control Boards in 1989 to initiate the process of indexing the critically polluted areas.”
“At that time 24 industrial areas, including Vapi, Ankleshwar, Ludhiana, were declared ‘critically polluted’,”, he says, adding, “In 2009 the CPCB and Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, in consistence with the demands of the people’s organisations working on environmental issues decided to use a new method of ‘indexing the pollution levels’ of these areas, which is now known as Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI).”
CEPI includes air, water, land pollution and health risks to the people living in the area, he says, though regretting, the demand to include workers' health, productivity of land and quality of food/ agriculture produce in the index was rejected.
“In December 2009 the CEPI of 88 polluted industrial clusters was measured; it was then that the CPCB and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India declared 43 of those as ‘critically polluted clusters’ and another 32 industrial areas as ‘severely polluted clusters’.”
“Following the study the MoEF, on January 13, 2010, issued a moratorium on the 43 critically polluted areas”, says Prajapati, adding, “Similar reports were prepared by CPCB in 2011 and 2013 but these reports were completely ignored by the past government and the Modi government.”
“Today”, he says, “There is some improvement but not up to the mark so that government can take the decision to lift the moratorium. Instead if we read the Control Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Zonal Office (West), Vadodara, Gujarat of July 2016 report the ‘ECP Industrial Cluster of Vadodara’ has also become critically polluted cluster.”

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

'Big blow to crores of farmers’: Opposition mounts against US–India trade deal

By A Representative Farmers’ organisations and political groups have sharply criticised the emerging contours of the US–India trade agreement, warning that it could severely undermine Indian agriculture, depress farm incomes and open the doors to genetically modified (GM) food imports in violation of domestic regulatory safeguards.

From Puri to the State: How Odisha turned the dream of drinkable tap water into policy

By Hans Harelimana Hirwa, Mansee Bal Bhargava Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Michael Parenti: Scholar known for critiques of capitalism and U.S. foreign policy

By Harsh Thakor* Michael Parenti, an American political scientist, historian, and author known for his Marxist and anti-imperialist perspectives, died on January 24 at the age of 92. Over several decades, Parenti wrote and lectured extensively on issues of capitalism, imperialism, democracy, media, and U.S. foreign policy. His work consistently challenged dominant political and economic narratives, particularly those associated with Western liberal democracies and global capitalism.

How water scarcity is driving hunger and displacement on three continents

By Sudhansu R. Das The world’s true wealth isn’t buried deep in mines. It is all around us—in the glittering expanse of oceans, the life-giving flow of rivers, the richness of forests, the majesty of hills, and the irreplaceable tapestry of biodiversity. This is the planet’s “surface gold.” Its value—measured in sustenance, livelihoods, and life itself—infinitely outweighs the extracted treasures of precious metals and minerals. Yet, tragically, too many leaders overlook this foundational capital, ignoring the permanent prosperity it can generate for a world fixated on the transient.

Search This Blog