MoEFCC "violates" Supreme Court order on online complaint monitor, sets up industry-facilitating portal instead

By Rohit Prajapati*
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has "proudly" announced it's new endeavour with yet another acronym PARIVESH. It is a web-based, role-based workflow application developed for submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking environment, forest, wildlife and coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearances from Central, state and district-level authorities.
It claims to automate the entire tracking of proposals, which includes online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals and displays status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow. The process reveals the worst kept secret of the MoEFCC. To quote minister of environment Dr Harsh Vardhan, with PARIVESH, MoEFCC has "become more of a facilitator, than a regulator."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched PARIVRSH launched as single-window integrated system... for complete online, expeditious and transparent system for environment, forest, wildlife and CRZ clearances at Central and state level", Dr Vardhan said in a communique, adding, "It will lead to better compliance and sustainable development", asking those concerned to visit it's site https://parivesh.nic.in.
MoEFCC's mandated concern should be for environment, forests, and climate, as mentioned in the name of the ministry, but the recent announcement makes it clear that the ministry is working for ease of business for industries, instead of protecting environment.
Quite on the lines of PARIVESH, MoEFCC could instead have an online tracking and status of complaints for the violation of terms and conditions of environment clearances, environment laws, about air, water, and soil pollution.
Generally, when people affected by pollution file complains, they get poor or no reply from the MoEFCC and State Pollution Control Boards, and they are not in position to locate status of their complaints.
Even in our Public Interest litigation (PIL) Writ Petition No. 375 of 2012, Supreme court Order dated February 22, 2016 clearly states:

"It would be in the interest of implementation of the objective sought to be achieved, to also require each concerned state (and each concerned Union territory) to make provision for 'online, real time, continuous monitoring system' to display emission levels, in the public domain, on the portal of the concerned State Pollution Control Board... Such measures shall be put in place by all the concerned state governments (including, concerned Union territories), within six months from today."

This deadline was over on August 22, 2017, but no action has been taken by MoEFCC.
This has once again exposed the misplaced concerns and intentions of MoEFCC that favours industries over nature.
---
Environment activist, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Vadodara

Comments

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.

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey* Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it.

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer. Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton. The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments. One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar* As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

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.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas* Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod* The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary. The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive.

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson* The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.

Search This Blog