Against national interest: Unions urge PM to withdraw draft EIA rules

Ten central trade unions on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 notification, saying it is contrary to India's commitment to international climate change treaty and against national interest.

In a letter shot off to the Prime Minister on Thursday, the unions said, "We submit our concerns, strongly urging you to withdraw this proposal in the interest of our people and environmental protection."

They stated in the letter, "We, the joint platform of central trade union organisations, would like to express our opposition to the proposed draft rules EIA 2020, which are in contravention to India's commitment to International Climate Change Treaty as well as to our own national interest in protecting our environmentally sensitive zones."

The EIA 2020 is a gross departure from EIA 2006 and appears to be for facilitating private commercial mining of coal and other minerals and the land-use management sought to be restructured and overhauled through various so-called reform measures being taken by the government in concerned fields, they explained in the letter.

"Your goodself is aware that the environmental degradation and ecological disturbances are causing natural calamities of various kinds including the health emergencies," it said.

The greed of corporates for limitless exploitation of nature and natural resources without necessary precautions and protection of nature is leading humanity to continuously face the backlash, the letter said. "It is neither good economics nor is it sustainable development."

India should remain committed to world sustainable development goals whereas the proposed draft rules are in contravention to them, they opined.

Moreover, they said the victims of this policy would be vulnerable sections of our society, especially the scheduled tribes.

The ten central trade unions are INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.

There are 12 central trade unions in the country including RSS affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).