Friday, November 11, 2011

Minutes confirm Gujarat government officials modified pollution norms to suit builders and industrialists

Minutes confirm Gujarat government officials modified pollution norms to suit builders and industrialists

November 10, 2011, Counterview

In a letter to Jayanthi Natarajan, minister of state for environment and forests, senior environmentalist Rohit Prajapati has insisted her on asking the Gujarat government to stop the "illegal decision" taken by the state forest and environment department and the urban development department at a meeting on September 5, 2011 to "modify" the present Central Pollution Control Board {CPCB) and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) guideline and norms stipulating 500 meters distance from treatment, storage and disposable facility (TSDF) sites of industrial hazardous waste for the residential complexes.

The letter, which is attached with the minutes of the meeting in which senior Gujarat government officials participated, reminded the Central minister that he had written, on November 20, 2010 in a complain to concerned departments of Gujarat State, with follow up letters, regarding "illegal residential complexes coming up just next to the Industrial Hazardous Solid Waste Site of Green Environment Co-operative Society Ltd., Vatva, and Naroda Enviro Projects Ltd., Naroda, Ahmedabad in blatant violation of CPCB and GPCB guideline on Industrial Hazardous Solid Waste."

As there was no response to any of the letters, Prajapati was force to file a right to information or RTI application to get the information. He got the information through RTI that the Forest and Environment Department and Urban Development Department, and Gujarat Pollution Control Board of Government of Gujarat had decided in meeting dated September 5, 2011 to modify the CPCB and GPCB guideline and norms of 500 meters distance from TSDFs for the residential complexes and reduce it to 100 meters to legalize illegal residential complexes.

"The minutes clearly reveals that it was casual, non-serious and informal meeting in which their main concerns was to help the builders and to bend the CPCB and GPCB guideline to legalize illegal residential complexes coming up next to TSDFs of Ahmedabad. The minutes also reveal that there was no serious discussion at all in the meeting and only some official made some statements and based on those casual statements without any crucial discussion the pre-decided decision was taken in the meeting", the environmentalist said.

Prajapati alleged, "Other than this main and only agenda, other two agendas were mechanically inserted so that it does not looks on paper that the meeting was specifically called to legalize illegal residential complexes coming up next to TSDFs of Ahmedabad. If you read the minutes it clearly reflects the real agenda of the meeting. The minutes clearly indicate the ant-people, anti-environment, and anti-health and safety 'real intention' and 'hidden environment policy' of the crucial departments of Government of Gujarat."

The letter said, "Same meeting decided to continue to enforce the 500 meters distance stipulation for future, which clearly shows that this norm is not wrong and that is why they are now only modifying it to 100 meters only for post facto regularization of illegal residential complexes which came up in violation of the CPCB and GPCB guideline and norms. As per my understanding they cannot modify the present CPCB guideline. It is clear that such a decision can only be due to immense pressure from the rich and the powerful."

Prajapati further says, "It cannot have been a suo-motu decision. Instead of taking firm action and enforcing the regulations Government of Gujarat is succumbing to pressure from all-sides from powerful rich people who want to legalize their illegal residential complexes. Any relaxation in the present environmental guideline and norms, post-facto is nothing but manipulation of present environmental norms to legalize illegal action to help most powerful rich people who can pressurize the Government to do illegal modification to legalize their illegal activities."

What do minutes say?: The minutes, as obtained by the environmentalist, say that "a provision of keeping 100 meters buffer zone around the existing TSDF sites will be made for construction projects", suggesting that any constructions taking place around present TSDF sites are deemed as legal. However, they allow the 500 meter rule for allowing constructions only for the future TSDF sites. The minutes say, "A provision of keeping a 500 meter buffer zone around new TSDF/ CETP sites would be included in the new Development Plan and Town Planning schemes under the Urban Development department by appropriate amendments", suggesting that such a norm does not exist for new constructions around present TSDF sites. They merely want "think plantation of appropriate species in the buffer zone of 100 meters around existing TSDF sites and 500 meters around new TSDF sites as would applicable", which would be "carried ouby and maintained by the builders and project proponents."

___________________________________________________________________
         Rohit P rajapati & T rupti S hah 
         37, Patrakar Colony, Tandalja Road, 
         Post-Akota, Vadodara - 390 020
         GUJARAT, INDIA
         Phone No. 
+ 91 - 265 - 2320399
         Email Norohit.prajapati@gmail.com

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