SAP strictures on ministry

The report caused a major controversy with Environment Minister Saifuddin Soz first calling a press conference for the release of the report and later cancelling it on the advice of some senior bureaucrats who felt it would be damaging for the ministry.One of the prominent members of SAP, N Bhaskar Rao, former head of Operations Research Group and director of Centre for Media Studies has resigned over the matter.

Other members like former Justice R S Pathak and Abid Hussain of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation have also resigned although they have cited different reasons for doing so.

Other members of the group are R Rajamani, former environment secretary and renowned scientist M S Swaminathan, who had resigned last year.

The report says that the Environment Impact Assessment Committees of the ministry should be refurbished periodically to inject professional talent into them. The ministry should also give reasons to the committees when their advice is not accepted, it adds.

The report noted that project reports prepared by consultants were “not of good quality and do not have satisfactory multi-disciplinary analysis or even database.” In addition, adherence to stipulated conditions in the clearance orders is “very lax and monitoring mechanism are weak.”

It recommended that financial institutions should also do an environmental appraisal while doing project appraisals.Speaking to The Indian Express, Rao said the ministry was creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the SAP. He claimed they were being denied reports and material produced in the ministry.

However, Soz claimed that the ministry was trying to be open and had set up the National Environment Appellate Authority headed by Justice N G Venkatchala, former judge of the Supreme Court. He further alleged that Rao had withheld information contained in the report from him and called a press conference without consulting him.

Soz maintained that he tried to revive the SAP and had called Justice Pathak for a meeting to help resolve the issue. “I will assist them in every way possible,” he said.