The Union environment ministry
has, using a bureaucratic loophole, lifted a ban on expansion and setting up of
factories in eight critically polluted industrial belts. The moratorium was imposed based on the
performance of the clusters on a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index
(CEPI) developed by the Central Pollution Control Board and introduced by the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2009. It measures industrial belts on a scale of
zero to 100. A reading above 70 is
termed “critically polluted”and a moratorium imposed on
expansion. After imposing a round of moratoriums on many industrial belts, the
UPA government continued to review improvements undertaken to reduce pollution.
Industrial belts that improved with time were periodically taken out of the
banned list.
But eight of these showed
worsening trends: Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Panipat (Haryana),
Singrauli (Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh), Vapi (Gujarat), Indore, (Madhya Pradesh),
Jharsuguda (Odisha), Ludhiana
(Punjab) and Patancheru-Ballaram (Andhra Pradesh). InSeptember 2013 the government
noted, “The CEPI scores indicate (for the eight clusters) thateven after a period of
two-and-a-half years of implementation of action plans, there is noimprovement in the environmental
quality.” The moratorium on these eight industrial clusters remained.
With pressure building within the
UPA to ease the moratorium, the environment ministry asked the Central Pollution
Control Board to review the index itself and come up with another formulation within four
months. Now, the NDA government has cited a delay in the review of the index to allow new
factories and expansion in the polluted industrial zones on merit, practically doing away
with the moratorium.
The government order of June 10
reads, “The report with respect to the entire CEPI concept i.e. taking into account all constituents
as originally formulated in 2009, is yet to be received from CPCB. It is felt that
re-assessment of CEPI taking into
account all its constituents as originally formulated in 2009 are
a must before taking a view on re-imposition of moratorium in any centrally polluted area.”It
adds, “It has, therefore, been decided to keep in abeyance until further orders…to
the extentnit related to the re-imposition of moratorium in eight centrally
polluted areas till CPCB reassessesthe CEPI taking into account all
constituents of index as originally envisaged in 2009,” the order further
stated.
Till the CEPI index is reviewed,
the ministry will consider environment clearance of all the projects in these areas. The
environment ministry has asked the CPCB to prepare a report on CEPI index within a year instead
now which would permit the government to clear expansion and new industrial activity in
these zones till the revised index is decided.
Source- Business Standard