NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN RECOMMENDS
SETTING UP OF ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY
The Ministry of Environment
& Forests plans to collaborate with IITs and other centers
of excellence for capacity building in the field of environment
planning and engineering. This was stated by the Minister for
Environment & Forests, Sh. T.R. Baalu while receiving the
National Environmental Action Plan from Shri T.K.A. Nair, Chairman
of the Expert Committee. Shri Baalu emphasized the importance
of generating greater public awareness on environmental issues
and sought the active involvement and co-operation of Central
Government Ministries and State Governments in environmental protection
and abatement of pollution. He said Municipal bodies and Panchayati
Raj institutions would have to play a larger role in environmental
matters in future.
The committee consisted
of expert members drawn from different disciplines and sectors
like Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Water Resources etc.
The mandate to the Committee, included study of environmental
policy issues, core systems and institutions and close examination
of certain areas of immediate concern for evolving time-targeted
action plans.
The National Environmental
Action Plan (NEAP) evolved by the Expert Committee reflects the
new approach to a future developmental path which is both people
centered and conservation based. Care for the environment at all
stages in the complex process of development and at all levels
of society is the guiding principle of this path. The NEAP proposes
preventive and end-of-pipe environmental management measures for
achieving improvement in air, water and soil quality and also
relate financial performance with physical achievement by providing
necessary administrative mechanism. The NEAP envisages and solicits
wide-ranging involvement and support or the Central and State
Governments, institutions of local governance, industry, academia,
scientists and the public.
The NEAP appreciates
the contribution of NGOs in generating understanding of environmental
issues and monitoring the impact of developmental activities on
the environment. For greater impact at the ground level greater
role for the NGOs is envisaged.
Central and State
Governments and their agencies have the most critical role to
play in environment protection and abatement of pollution. Environmental
protection and sustainable development must be integral part of
the mandate for all Government departments and agencies. They
must be made responsible and accountable for ensuring that their
objectives, policies and specific programmes encourage and support
activities that are economically viable and ecologically sustainable.
Ecological dimensions of government policies must be considered
along with the economic, social and political aspects. Ministries
and other development agencies of government should ideally set
up Environment Cells and appoint the Nodal Officers as soon projects
or plans are conceived.
For protection of
environment and abatement of pollution the globally accepted "Polluter
Pays Principle" and "Precautionary Principle" must
be implemented. Government agencies responsible for prevention
and control of pollution should welcome the intervention of judiciary.
At the same time, they should be proactive and innovative in dealing
with Public Interest Litigations (PILs) on environment matters.
The Central and State Pollution Control Boards should reorient
their thinking and actively facilitate action against defaulters
sought through PILs.
The NEAP has called
for attitudinal change in the working of Central and State Governments
and their agencies in this respect.
The NEAP highlights
the inadequacies and shortcomings of the State Pollution Control
Boards (SPCBs) arising out of inadequate financial resources,
infrastructure and expert manpower.
The NEAP emphasizes
that strengthening and upgrading of the CPCB and SPCBs is most
crucial for enforcement of pollution control and environmental
protection measures. The NEPA has recommended setting up of State
level Appellate Authorities outside the State Government with
a retired Judge of High Court as its Chairman.
The NEAP has recommended
the setting up of Environmental Protection Authority under the
Environment Protection Act, 1986. Such an Environment Protection
Authority will relieve the Ministry of Environment & Forests
of a lot of additional work and enable it to concentrate on policy
making.
The NEAP has recommended
that MoEF should through Expert Group finalise sustainability
indicators based on extensive public awareness and participation.
The NEAP has stressed
the urgency of reviewing the functioning of the Regional Offices
of the MoEF and the Central Pollution Control Board with a view
to ensuring optimum utilization of financial and human resources.
Based on review of
the working of the CPCB/SPCBs, the following major recommendations
have been made in the NEAP:
Ø The CPCB/SPCBs
should be adequately strengthened with financial and expert management
resources for promoting pollution control measures
Ø Working
of the CPCBs/SPCBs should be fully computerized
Ø Keeping
in view the failure to set up adequate number of Common Effluent
treatment Plants by government/local bodies, they may be allowed
to be set up by private sector on a chargeable basis.
The NEAP has identified
the following new thrust area for priority attention: use of chemical
pesticides and fertilizers, indoor pollution, poultry, railways,
drycleaners, gasoline & underground storage tanks and used
oils.
The NEAP has recommended
promotion of both formal and informal environmental education.
There is need to strengthen in-service training programmes. Environment
education should be introduced as compulsory subject of higher
technical education including medical education.
The NEAP has recommended
time-targeted action plan for the following sectors:
1. Effective implementation
of regulations on hazardous substances
2. Implementation
of Bio-medical Waste (Management and handling) Rules
3. Treatment and
disposal of Municipal Solid Wastes
4. Reduction of pollution
level in critically polluted areas
5. Abatement of Pollution
in
- Small scale industries
- Distilleries
- Brick kilns
- Stone crushers
6. Utilisation of
fly ash
7. Abatement of pollution
in metro cities including NCR
8. Rectification
of ground water contamination
9. Enforcement of
environmental clearance conditions.
