People's rights to clean environment important: Jayanthi

Decrying indiscriminate use of natural resources and deforestation in the name of growth, Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan today said that industries and corporates should focus on protecting the environment and ensure balanced and sustained development.
"...There are some industries, which feel that we should indiscriminately use natural resources, cut down our forests and use them for growth," she told reporters here on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute, an autonomous body under the union ministry of environment.
"Every citizen has a right to clean air and water. We have to look after their rights and not just of the industries," she said, adding that it was very important to protect the environment and make sure that "climate changes do not overtake us."

Natarajan pointed out to an ongoing protest by environmentalists and others in Mathura against pollution of River Ganga and said that she had deputed a team to hold talks with the protesters.
Every industry has the responsibility to ensure that there is balanced and sustained development, she said.
When asked about delays in environmental clearance for projects, Natarajan shot back, "any body who says that there are delays in environmental clearances, I would like them to point out the project that is pending in my ministry."
She said that about 74 per cent of projects are cleared at the state-level and 17 per cent by regional offices.

"Only nine per cent comes to my ministry and of these, I do not have any project that is delayed - whether it is coal or steel. There are no pending projects," she added.