 "ENVIRONMENT, eia, Environment impact assessment, forest")
Miners' body FIMI has welcomed the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, and said that it will help to streamline and rationalise the environmental clearance process.
In a letter to Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) Secretary General R K Sharma said "we believe the draft Notification is a welcome step towards streamlining and rationalising the environmental clearance process, improve objectivity and transparency along with stakeholder participation."
FIMI further said it is a welcome step for the mining sector and the streamlined process in the draft EIA Notification, 2020 will attract major investments, reduce imports and create multiple livelihood opportunities in the country, along with necessary environmental protection and effective monitoring mechanism.
The draft EIA notification was issued by the environment ministry in March and public suggestions were invited.
The present EIA Notification, 2006 was effected almost 14 years back.
To keep pace with the evolving environmental issues and various court directions, around 55 amendments to the notification and 230 Office Memorandums, circulars were issued over the span of 14 years, which has made the EIA Notification, 2006 quite cumbersome and complex, it said.
It is about time that the country has a simple, consolidated and objective environment clearance process and the draft EIA Notification, 2020 is a praise-worthy and timely effort by the environment ministry towards this purpose, it said.
The draft Notification has focused on reduction of inordinate delays/processing time without compromising on the quality of the EIA process, it noted.
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It has also clearly distinguished between non-compliance of EC conditions and violations, which will greatly help in reducing related administrative delays and clear understanding by all stakeholders, FIMI said.
Reducing the minimum notice period for public hearing from 30 to 20 days is justified, considering the improvements in technology (internet, mobiles) to access information regarding EIA and written comments by the public compared to earlier years when these facilities were uncommon.
For existing projects having prior EC, the draft Notification has also facilitated increase in production capacity by up to 50 per cent through modernisation, which is the need of the hour and will enable India to adopt technological innovation and modernisation at par with global industries, it said.
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