EIA assault on ecological security, environment, poor adivasis: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2020 (EIA 2020) is an assault on India's ecological security, environment, fragile ecosystems and millions of poor adivasis.

Addressing a virtual press conference, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the government unilaterally acquired power to appoint state environmental impact assessment authorities thereby killing cooperative federalism.

Environmentalists, civil society groups and activists have raised objections to the EIA 2020.

"This usurpation of power by the Centre virtually makes the role and responsibility of state governments rudderless and that of a mute spectator," the Congress leader alleged.

"The EIA 2020 licenses and legitimises environmental damage indefinitely by monetising environmental crimes.

"The draft EIA 2020 allows the project owners to, post-facto, pay compensation in cases where they pollute the environment and continue their operations as if nothing has changed (Clause 22)," Surjewala claimed.

He alleged the act of paying compensation is presumed to retrieve or reverse the environmental damage caused introducing a concept of monitoring environmental crimes. "This is an amnesty scheme giving a clean-chit to polluters without a cut-off date."

He also alleged that the draft EIA 2020 has considerably increased the period of validity of prior environmental clearance.

"EIA 2020 is in complete negation of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 as also the judgements of the Supreme Court," he said.