The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has lifted the moratorium on industrial expansion in 10 industrial clusters under the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) critically polluted areas. With this, only seven areas are now left under the regulations, out of the 43 clusters initially.
In view of the re-assessment of Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) score and taking into consideration that action plans for improving environment quality take time to yield results, the ministry has cleared the moratorium on consideration of projects for environmental clearances in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Manali (Tamil Nadu), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Korba (Chhattisgarh), Asansol (West Bengal), Haldia (West Bengal), Howrah (West Bengal), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
"The CEPI score of these areas is below 80 and has shown a decreasing trend as compared to the CEPI score of 2011," the ministry said in an announcement. The seven clusters remaining under the moratorium are Ankleshwar (Gujarat), Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Pali (Rajasthan), Vatva (Gujarat), Vellore (Tamil Nadu), Najafgarh Drain Basin (Delhi) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan). In these places, the CEPI score is either above 80 or is above 70 and showing either increasing trend or no change as compared to values observed in 2011.
It was in January 2009 that the MoEF had introduced CEPI, as an effort to categorise the rate of pollution and also to judge the environment quality of industrial areas. Based on this, the CPCB had later put a ban on environment clearance of projects in these highly-polluting areas or those which are above 70 on the CEPI.
Initially, a moratorium was imposed by the pollution control board on 43 clusters and in due course of time it was lifted in 26 such areas. The fresh clearance is conditional, stating that any expansion or modernisation of existing projects or any activity or change in the product mix is in line with the overall approved action plan of the concerned critically polluted areas. It also states that the projects would be reviewed by the state pollution control board on a quarterly basis.
According to the ministry, the present CEPI regulation was more a warning tool to plan reduction of pollution in those areas through a remedial action plan.
The 43 clusters which were included in the first set were out of 88 selected by the CPCB and state boards.
