The State government seems to have got some relief with the Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA)’s decision to issue clearance for temporary capital at its 78th State-level meeting.
But, former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma raised a few pertinent issues relating to the EC. In a letter to SEIAA chairman S. Balasubramanyam, he urged the authority to review its decision to issue the EC. Mr. Sarma pointed out that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was not accessible either on the SEIAA website or APPCB (Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board) website. The supporting documents on the construction project were not available on these websites, he said.
“Under Section 4 of the RTI Act, since these are public documents, they should have been uploaded into the public domain for information to the people, especially those in and around the capital city project.
Non-compliance
Even under the Environment (Protection) Act and the notifications issued from time to time, the said documents ought to have been disclosed to the public. Non-compliance with this requirement, in my view, has prejudiced the environment impact appraisal process and introduced an element of illegality,” he said.
The minutes of SEIAA at the 77th & 78th meetings and the minutes of the SEAC meeting at the 87th & 88th meetings show that the gist of the discussions that went into the decision was not available. This amounts to keeping the people in the dark about the project. It also shows that the decision to issue an EC was a summary one without any application of mind, he said.
“Environment Impact Appraisal cannot be treated as a ritual to be fulfilled without evaluating the impact of the project on the local environment and its socio-economic impact on the people. Apparently, from what I see from your website, those aspects have not been examined at all,” he said.
It may be recalled that it was reported in these columns on February 1 that the State government was going ahead with its plans to construct a temporary capital, despite the fact that cases are pending with the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The government has even floated tenders. The State government claimed that it has got all the environmental clearance. But Mr. Sarma challenged the EC issued by the SEIAA in the NGT.
