Apropos Sunita Narain's column "Green clearance test for NDA" (Down to Earth, August 25), the importance a government gives to environment planning and protection can be seen by the way it is assigned in portfolio distribution. Narendra Modi has tagged this critical function with the ministry of information and broadcasting and allotted it to a minister of state. The link between the two ministries is inexplicable.
Moreover, in his speeches, Modi has rarely emphasised the necessity for saving the environment as much as he has for saving electricity or investing in manufacturing. No wonder the minister in charge has decided to give preference to release "blocked" projects with unholy haste so as to accelerate investment in industry, create more jobs and promote the country's image for ease of business, relegating the concern for environment conservation.
It is unfortunate that the government is focussed on the prosperity of the current young generation at the cost of endangering the lives of future generations by destroying the natural environment. The new government should at least enforce legal pollution control measures to save affected communities from air, water and noise pollution.
Y G Chouksey Pune
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