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Power projects: ‘show environmental concerns’

NEW DELHI: Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde seeking to put an end to laying of foundation stones for projects without proper and formal clearances and advising all state power PSUs like National Thermal Power Corporation, National Hydro Power Corporation , Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation to show greater sensitivity to environmental concerns at the highest level.

In the letter he has stated that there is a strong tendency for projects to start and have their foundation stones laid even before environmental and forestry clearances are obtained.

This reduces such clearances to a mere formality, which, certainly, is not the intention of the Government, Mr. Jairam added.

“There are some areas in the power-cum-coal sector which have already emerged as ‘environmental hot spots’ like Singrauli, Korba and Talcher. Water and land have emerged as serious binding constraints and new ways of optimising their use have been put into practice. As far as hydel projects are concerned, we need to carry out cumulative impact assessments on a basin-basin and not just assessment of individual projects. This is particularly true in the mega projects that are under way in States like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim,” he has stated in the letter.

“My experience is that there are many instances of projects not adhering to the conditions stipulated during the environmental and forestry clearance. Unfortunately the monitoring systems for compliance are very weak but there is a need to ensure that projects fulfil their obligations when it comes to environmental and forests. Perhaps, the Central Electricity Authority could conduct an annual assessment,” Mr. Jairam suggested.

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