#dnaEdit: Toothless green laws

Taking a cue from the Centre’s Make-in-India campaign, the Maharashtra government has stepped up efforts to turn the state into an attractive business destination, showing scant regard for environmental laws. The critical steps towards that goal have been the easing of green laws and freeing up agricultural land for industrial purposes. As the floor space index (FSI) is set to increase by 400 per cent on agricultural land designated for industries, it would pave the way for in situ expansion of manufacturing plants. The idea is to spare industry captains the trouble of acquiring additional land for scaling up operations. Concurrently, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken up the initiative of modifying the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948, to do away with measures posing hindrances on the use of agricultural land for industrial purposes. 

At a time when other states are rolling out the red carpet for big businesses, Fadnavis clearly doesn’t want to be seen lagging. Even if his moves raise the hackles of environmentalists. He has decided to scrap the River Regulation Zone policy to accommodate industries close to a river’s high flood line. The restrictions coming from the Industrial Location Policy for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be eased shortly. Fadnavis’ move to make less polluting industries — those in the orange and green categories — self-regulatory and roping in the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to ensure that environmental laws aren’t flouted have rightly been met with scepticism. Green activists are wary of the MPCB’s role, since the board is understaffed and lacks the resolve to crack the whip on polluting industries. 

With increasing haste the Maharashtra CM is diluting environmental norms and easing clearance procedures — bringing down the number of permissions from all departments by 25 per cent and facilitating the setting up of industrial zones in urban and semi-urban areas. The competition around him is stiff. He has to contend with the much-publicised Vibrant Gujarat summit and fight off competition from Rajasthan, Kerala and even less attractive states like Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal. 

However, Fadnavis doesn’t want to bother himself analysing the consequences of his actions, even when the current environmental crisis threatens to spiral out of control. Though as per the World Health Organization report in 2014, Mumbai fares better than Delhi, Patna, Gwalior and Raipur in terms of air pollution, the quality of air in the financial capital is a matter of grave concern. In a study conducted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which tracked air pollution in Maharashtra between 2008 and 2011, 28 areas in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Raigad and Chandrapur districts were found to be ‘very unhealthy’ for the high concentration in suspended particulate matter in the air. The alarming increase in respiratory problems in Mumbai, especially during winter, indicates a worsening of the situation. Mumbai’s dumping grounds — Deonar, Mulund and Gorai — are currently grappling with monumental piles of waste, exposing the residents to grave health risks. Mumbai’s biggest problem is the lack of proper waste treatment and disposal system — evident in the high concentration of faecal matter in the seawater along the Mumbai shoreline. The discharge of untreated waste from the slums into the sea has virtually killed the marine population along the coast. 
By choosing to not deal with these pressing issues, and expecting industries to self-regulate, Fadnavis is doing a great disservice to the people.