Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said that it should be possible to plan development projects without harming the environment.
Replying to a question on the trade-off between environmental protection and industrial growth, he said, “It is very important to have a development policy which also protects the environment. But if you properly plan it, it should be possible to do that.”
The question assumes significance in the context of Environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s comments to the effect that the high growth targets set for the next Five Year Plan would have environmental costs.
He was replying to questions after delivering the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) platinum jubilee commemorative lecture on ‘Twelth Five year plan - Gateway to a Defining Decade.’
“Sustainability is a question we have been less sensitive about. We should see how to grow without impacting the environment,” Ahluwalia said.
He further said, “When you take due concern for the environment, some things may take longer, some things may require a little bit extra cost. We can reconcile these two, by being more careful and taking corrective measures.”
He suggested that deforestation for mining purposes can be compensated by “a proactive policy of planting more trees so that in net terms, we don’t actually lose out. I think that is possible”.
