Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the draft is being rushed through without adequate consultations with all the stakeholders.

In view of the dangers it poses to the fragile ecology of the State, it should be withdrawn immediately, the Chief Minister has demanded.

What are the objections raised by the Kerala? First and foremost, the draft seeks to remove a range of activities from the purview of public consultations. It has also reduced the time limit for consultations to 20 days.

Moreover, the draft seeks to exempt a number of industries from securing environmental clearance. This is a highly dangerous recommendation which will inflict serious damage to the ecology of the country, Kerala points out.

There is no denying that the Centre has indulged in ‘wilful disobedience’ of the Delhi High Court’s directive that the draft be published in all the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution within 10 days from June 30 this year.

This is nothing but deliberate defiance by the Union Environment Ministry of the directive of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva of the Delhi High Court. The Ministry has neither published the draft nor has it sought time to do so.

Kerala is not alone in taking strong objection to the draft. As many as 124 environmentalists, social activists and local groups in Mumbai have appealed to all members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to ensure that the dangerous draft is withdrawn immediately.

A number of guidelines in the draft have been manipulated. Directives highlighting the importance of a dialogue between the public and the Government have been removed.

The ecology of Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, faces grave danger from industrial projects if the draft EIA 2020 is not withdrawn. If the ecology of Mumbai is not taken care of, there is a distinct danger of Mumbai getting submerged by 2050, the environmentalists and social activists have warned.

Equally significant is the criticism voiced by chairman of the Gadgil Commission Madhav Gadgil. He has gone on record that the Centre’s stand will have a harmful effect on the ecology of the country which has already been weakened considerably by the thoughtless policies being implemented by state governments including Kerala. He has also gone to the extent of extending full support to all those who are protesting against the dangerous draft EIA 2020.

Will the Centre listen to the notes of warning being sounded by environmentalists? That is the million dollar question. (IPA Service)