My ministry is not blocking highway projects: Ramesh

To say that the Union environment ministry has been blocking national highway projects is not factual, said minister Jairam Ramesh, even as he couldn’t resist a dig at the Union road transport and highways ministry for trying to bypass his people’s scrutiny.

On media reports of a tussle between him and road transport minister Kamal Nath in this regard, Ramesh responded: “In 98 per cent of the cases, our ministry has given approval to highway projects. It is only on those cases where national highway projects pass through tiger corridors or dense forest areas that we do not approve.”

But, added: “In certain cases, the concerned ministry has bypassed our department, which is not a good situation.”

He was here to participate at the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Forest Management.

Roads apart, Ramesh said he wasn’t happy at the rehabilitation work by the Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Project Ltd in the state. He said he’d asked the state government to comment on it. “According to the company, only one village, namely Jalud, has been rehabilitated of the 22 which were to be,” he said, with dissatisfaction, of the 400-Mw project’s managers.

On toxic waste disposal in the premises of the closed Union Carbide premises in Bhopal, he said a decision was to be taken soon. He was pessimistic on the fate of as many as 18 of the country’s 39 tiger reserves, saying these could go the Panna and Sariska way (where all the tigers have disappeared), if appropriate action isn’t taken. He said nine of the 39 were in good condition and 12 needed improvement.

On being asked if his ministry was going to hand over probes into the disappeared tigers at the Panna (MP) sanctuary to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the minister said he was awaiting a report from the committee formed by the state government. “A final decision will taken only after the findings of the report. Everything cannot be handed over to CBI,” he said.

He said the proposed National Green Tribunal to deal with legal cases on forest and environment issues would be ready soon..“Discussion (on the Bill) has already began in the Parliament and once both the Houses give their approval, special courts will be set up in the country. It will be like a circuit bench of the courts and four such benches in different regions of the country will be set up, one of them in Bhopal.”

He said the Bill for a National Environment Protection Agency would be tabled soon in Parliament.