Amid widespread controversy regarding Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environment Clearances (EC),the Ministry of Environment and Forests is moving a proposal to create an independent Environment Protection Authority that will deal with the granting of environmental clearances. The ministry has created a draft proposal on the Authority,which will be opened for public comments on Thursday. Sources said the draft proposes an independent,autonomous body,answerable to Parliament the way Nandan Nilekanis Unique Identification Scheme (UID) has been structured. Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told The Indian Express that due to the study of EIAs,the ministry is unable to focus on its real work,which ise monitoring and setting standards. Currently,99.9 per cent of the ministrys work is environment clearances. We have to begin doing our real work,which are compliance and setting standards. The EPA will be solely responsible for conducting EIAs and assessments. We have to see if this agency can be created within the existing EPA, he said.
