Green tribunal flouts every rule
Govt Admits It Didn’t Follow Selection Process …….Nitin Sethi | TNN
New Delhi: The murky goings-on in the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA), the only judicial body in the country allowed to hear a grievance against environmental clearances given to projects by the environment ministry, have emerged as replies to RTI queries. Created by a special Act of Parliament, the authority has the dubious record of dismissing all but one petition that have come before it in the last 12 years.
Here is how members to the judicial body were last selected. The five-member appellate was to have one chairperson—a retired Supreme Court judge—and one vice-chairperson. But since 2005, the government has not been able to find anyone to fill these positions.
The NEAA is also supposed to have three technical members. When asked in an RTI plea by The Access Initiative, a group working on transparency in the environment sector, how the current members were selected in 2006, the environment ministry admitted it did not even advertise for the position and had no fixed selection process for the appointments.
When I V Manivannan, a retired IAS officer from TN, sent his application, it was simply accepted by the ministry. In 2006, A Raja was the minister. The serving DG (forests) and special secretary J C Kala recommended a retired forest service officer who, too, was selected without any process. Then Kala, having retired, suggested his own name for vice-chairmanship and was hired as member.
All three enjoy the perks and pay of a Union government additional secretary. The government has admitted on record that the “question did not arise” of setting up a selection panel for the judicial posts as these had not been advertised.
K Prasad made a trip to Varanasi, Shirdi and Tirupati. But none of these trips were part of any case the appellate had heard and not in the work profile of members of the body. In all, he made 16 trips in three years, none which were related to any case before the NEAA.
His colleague I V Manivannan travelled 11 times, each time holding “discussions” on issues unrelated to his work with officials. Each time he went to Chennai, his hometown. The third technical member, J C Kala, participated in two sports meets while also travelling to the Gulf of Munnar, and like the other two, held “discussions” on environment on his seven trips. None of the tours were related to any of the cases that he and his colleagues have heard, and rejected, so far.
Forest Rights Act may curb mining menace
Forest Rights Act may curb mining menace
New Delhi: The wildlife lobby and many environmentalists opposed it when it was being put in place but now the Forest Rights Act could become a tool for them to prevent mining in important forest areas. With the environment and coal ministries deciding to fast-track environment clearance in degraded forest lands, the government has admitted it will have to look into the provisions of the Forest Rights Act before it can allow mining.
The Forest Rights Act has a clause that disallows removing forest-dwellers till their rights have been recognised under the Act. Another section of the Act requires project proponents or the government to seek permission of gram sabhas involved if the forest land has been claimed as “community forests”.
While the environment ministry has made it clear mining would be kept out of dense and moderately dense forests, most of the rights, it is predicted, lie in degraded forest lands though claims have been made for lands in some tiger reserves as well. While the government has expressed its intention to reduce the time taken at the state level for clearances under the Forest Conservation Act, the new legislation is being seen as a separate issue to deal with. TNN
Govt approves norms for tiger relocation
New Delhi: The environment ministry has approved a blueprint for tiger relocation prepared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in association with wildlife experts and the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, paving the way for the second phase of the plan to revive the big cat population in Rajasthan’s Sariska reserve. “I have approved the protocol. It is an important plan for better tiger conservation in the country whenever there is translocation of animal,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh said.
New Delhi: The environment ministry has approved a blueprint for tiger relocation prepared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in association with wildlife experts and the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, paving the way for the second phase of the plan to revive the big cat population in Rajasthan’s Sariska reserve. “I have approved the protocol. It is an important plan for better tiger conservation in the country whenever there is translocation of animal,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh said.
After shifting three tigers—a male and two females—last year, Rajasthan had put on hold its plan to relocate two more cats after the NTCA decided to frame guidelines detailing steps needed for the translocation process to be adopted by states. “The protocol has details such as which type of animal of what age can be translocated on what conditions. Translocation guidelines exist, but the protocol will be like a bible for wildlife officials planning to shift tigers from one reserve to another. They’ll have to strictly adhere to norms,” an NTCA official said. AGENCIES