Jairam’s ‘go soft’ move may blunt Jaiswal’s point

While Jairam Ramesh led the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) would argue for maintaining the sanctity of vegetation cover in forests,the coal ministry and Planning Commission are likely to pitch for relaxing green norms to bail out more coal mines from the ambit of ‘No Go’ areas in the GoM meet.

The GoM arguably has an onerous task. While it cannot overtly pitch for loosening the environmental norms,yet it has to take a stand to bail out coal blocks from the No Go areas,especially to service the needs of the steel,power and mining firms,who either have invested or pledged investment of over Rs 2,00,000 crore. The key issue before the GoM was to examine the efficacy and legality of existing forest clearance norms and procedures. Putting it simply,the Group would scrutinise the legality of MoEF’s definition and its parameters of No Go areas,which have virtually sealed the fate of 203 coal blocks having estimated reserves of 660 million tonnes.

Considering the it has been set up after an intense tussle between the coal and environment ministries,wherein ministries like steel and power too jumped into the fray,the GoM has high stakes in churning out a solution to the vexed issue.

The coal ministry demanded that the MoEF be directed to clear all stranded coal projects expeditiously “unless there are insurmountable hurdles” and also that clearances should be accorded within the stipulated 150 days. Contending that MoEF’s theoretical definition of Weighted Forest Cover (WFC) and Gross Forest Cover (GFC) has squeezed more coal-bearing areas out of Go zones or permissible areas,the coal ministry top brass approached the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) to intervene.

Unwilling to arrive a hurried conclusion,the CCI suggested constitution of a GoM to look into the entire gamut of issues pertaining to coal mining vis-a-vis environmental norms.

Unwilling to relent,senior MoEF officials pointed out that if the coal ministry’s proposal was to be endorsed it would imply that mining in No Go areas,which were rich repository of biological wealth of the nation would have “avoidable serious adverse impact” on flora and fauna. Rather,it argued,No Go areas should be treated as strategic energy reserves — to be utilised in the last resort to meet urgent safety and security needs of the country.

It expressed the apprehension to the CCI that compelling it divert forest land for each coal block allotted by the coal ministry would amounting that MoEF was being presented with a fait accompli,which would dent the very intent and spirit of the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980.