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Huge delays in clearance process of MoEF, monitoring of projects poor: CAG

Auditor found that environmental protection is lax with few ground inspections

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Laying bare the poor standards of environmental protection, a new report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found the Union Environment Ministry severely wanting in monitoring violations of green norms and in clearing projects on time. The report was tabled in Parliament on Friday.

The auditor sampled 216 projects that had been granted EC between 2011 and July 2015 to examine how the ministry fared in granting Terms of Reference and ECs. It also sampled 352 projects that had been granted EC between 2008 and 2012 to see if project proponents are following EC conditions and the ministry is monitoring their implementation.

The top auditor's report revealed that there was a delay in granting environmental clearance (EC) within the prescribed limit of 105 days in 89 per cent cases. The highest delay recorded was of 1,002 days, or just under three years. The average delay in grant of EC increased from 86 to 316 days during 2011 and 2014. The report also noted that no errant project proponent was penalised in 2014 and 2015.

According to CAG's report, delays were seen at each and every stage of a project appraisal, beginning from screening and scoping, right down to the appraisal by expert committees.

Once the projects were granted EC, there was widespread non-compliance of general and specific conditions imposed in the EC. These conditions ranged from permission to cut a specific number of trees, maintenance of green belt around projects, proper disposal of fly-ash, in the case of thermal power plants, and muck disposal in hydropower projects.

To monitor defaulting companies, regional offices were not well-equipped, the CAG noted. There were only 15 scientists available for monitoring of EC conditions against sanctioned strength of 41. They also didn't have the powers to take action against defaulting project proponents.

Among the blatant non-compliance of EC conditions, negligent storage of fly-ash was commonly found. "Improper storage of fly ash was noticed in 33 per cent of the cases. Non-utilisation of fly ash generated was also noticed in 21 per cent of the cases," the report said.

In some instances, the CAG found that project proponents had cut significantly more number of trees than what was permitted. In Chhattisgarh, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) cut 18,400 trees instead of 14,956 for upgradation of Aurang - Saraipaki stretch of NH-17 from four lanes to six lanes.

Another worrying factor was the undermining of public consultations. In seven hydropower projects that were inspected, none of them saw proper public consultations.

"Regional offices of the ministry don't have enough staff and they have not submitted half-yearly reports. The ministry agrees that there are huge gaps in monitoring whether project proponents are complying with conditions set during grant of environmental clearance," said Manish Kumar, Principal Director, CAG.

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